


Voltron and Demigods

by ImmigrantPhenomenon



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan, Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: ADHD, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Angst, Aphrodisiacs, Background Character Death, Background Relationships, Backstory, Bisexual Lance (Voltron), Blood and Gore, Bottom Keith (Voltron), Character Death, Child Abuse, Crossover, Cuban Lance (Voltron), Dancing and Singing, Dream Demon, Dyslexia, Eventual Smut, F/F, F/M, Fear, Female Pidge | Katie Holt, Female Pronouns for Pidge | Katie Holt, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Smut, Galra Keith (Voltron), Gay, Gay Character, Gay Keith (Voltron), Gay Sex, Gods and Goddesses, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Insecure Lance (Voltron), Inspired by Music, Lance (Voltron) Has ADHD, Lance (Voltron) Has Anxiety, Lance (Voltron) Has Two Moms, M/M, Magic, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Mild Gore, Music, Mutual Pining, Oral Sex, Pining Keith (Voltron), Pining Lance (Voltron), Plot, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Sex Toys, Singing Keith (Voltron), Singing Lance (Voltron), Slow Dancing, Smut, Soul Bond, Soulmates, Team as Family, Top Lance (Voltron), War, Wet Dream, frazel - Freeform, jasper - Freeform, klance, shallura - Freeform, slight crossover, solangelo
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-11-11
Updated: 2018-04-25
Packaged: 2019-02-01 01:33:12
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 10
Words: 45,420
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12694281
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ImmigrantPhenomenon/pseuds/ImmigrantPhenomenon
Summary: Keith and Lance are both trying to pretend their feelings don't exists, while in the middle of a war. Help from Earth causes Lance to fall into a deep spiral of his past he wished he could forget, but it comes back to haunt him, and Keith is the only one he turns to, While Lance is the only one Keith will turn to when finding out more about himself and his Galran heritage.





	1. The Past Mixes with the Present

Keith paced around the healing chamber, alone, the glowing blue hue of the room lighting up his hollowed face. He looked up, his normally hard eyes softening once meeting the closed blue ones of his fellow paladin. He smiled ever so slightly, but it was quickly gone, twisting it back into a frown when he saw the scars that still covered Lance’s body. He started yelling at himself internally, asking the questions no one was there to answer. Why wasn’t he healing? Why is it taking so long? He shook his head, Lance would be fine, he’s not worried. Why would he be worried, Lance doesn't even like him the smallest bit, he’s always trying to pick a fight. He let’s an audible sigh leave his lips, sliding down the tube that holds Lance, sitting on the floor and turning his head up to the Blue paladin trapped in a trance.

“Why’d you do it for me then?”

They had just gotten back from a conference, the very one that almost killed Lance. They were trying to negotiate peace, when someone threw a bomb in the middle of the dining room, right next to Keith. Lance had seen it first, throwing himself in front of Keith and onto the floor into a small ball right as the weapon blew up. They left immediately after being accused of setting it off, despite Lance being the one who saved the king and everyone else in the courtroom, but it was semi-true. They threw it at them because Pidge stole some, ‘priceless materials that were vital in her research.’ Allura took them from her immediately when they got back.

Keith stood up, always being restless and on alert, walking around the tube that held Lance, scoping out his injuries. Keith really did have other things to do, and if he finished those things he could always go train, but he felt like he should be here. Even if Lance didn’t like him back, he did take a shot for him. He stopped at his wrists, noticing how he had three identical scars running across his arms. Keith shoved a hand in his mouth, keeping his gasp silent, he felt tears well up in his eyes when he met the peaceful look of Lance asleep. He looked back down at his arm, the scars were too thin and close to each other to be an accident, only further pushing the fear in his throat. Lance was cutting. His eyebrows laced together, an outdent forming between his eyebrows where they met and pushed the skin together, his lips quivering slightly, all due to three little marks on Lance’s arm.

Keith looked at the small timer on the control panel in the center room that indicated the Lance still had about one hour left before he was supposed to come out, unless of course the castle finds more problems to fix in that amount of time and automatically knocks the clock up an hour or two. He looks down at the overview, protruding off the control panel on the familiar see-through screens, skimming over the paragraphs that tell him all about Lance’s health. He looked back at Lance, like he was going to jump on him if he looked any closer at the paragraph, but his curiosity overtook his guilt and he reached his hand out. He touched the glowing blue screen, letting the noises it made sound through the room and echo off the walls back at him, scrolling through the paragraphs with a small sense of urgency. He stopped once he got down pretty far, or at least he thought it was pretty far despite being nowhere near the bottom, one specific part catching his eye. The title of this section was ‘Major Procedures’ which Keith didn’t think much of it when he first scrolled past it, thinking it would be something like having his tonsils removed and other such surgeries, but he was surprised by the amount of other things he had done to him. Keith read them to himself, horror showing on his face the more he read, his hands starting to shake ever so slightly. Debridement of burns, skin grafts, tissue expansion. The longer he looked the more everything seemed to click together, all the major surgeries being on giant procedure all together. Then cause became clear, but the reason why had not, which only made him think more. Lance had been in a fire, but how? Why? When?

 

The cold fear that was flowing through his veins didn’t stop him from looking further, finding old new articles, and other whatnot information sources that related all his medical files. He stopped once again when a fire was mentioned, a newspaper article labeled ‘The Damsel is the Hero of the Hero’. He chuckled a little at the title, noting how stupid it was, which was most likely only for attention. He kept reading though, silently hoping it would be better worded than the title, stopping at a subarticle.

 

After the great loss of the famous Dr. Diaz, orphaned daughter saves her hero after the great fire. The bomb that was planted in her house having blown up while Dr. Diaz and her daughter, Grace Diaz, where making a cake for her brother, Gabriel Diaz, for his 12th birthday. The ten year old was furthest away from the blow, only receiving small burns and cuts from the glass and fire, but her mother was not so lucky, the bomb blowing from the oven, killing her instantly. Gabriel and his friend, Lance McClain, were outside of the house, playing a game of tag when it exploded, running up to the rubble in a haste. Lance was first to notice the yelling and coughing coming from the top window that he knew to belong to Grace. He ran inside, ordering Gabriel to call the firemen while Lance risked his life for hers. No one is for sure what happened in the house, or how Grace was able to survive it, emerging just as the firemen arrived. Lance and Grace were rushed to the hospital immediately, Gabriel riding with his 10 year old sister. Once in the hospital, Grace was quickly treated for her minimal injuries, but Lance’s were not so simple. To conclude, simply, Lance was in need of blood the hospital was unable to provide, but Grace Diaz had a heart pumping and ready to give. She was hooked straight up to Lance, sharing each other’s blood and filtering it all for them, while his injuries were dealt with.

Note: Lance McClain’s liver was unable to filter his own blood due to the area of the procedure, and a machine was not provided due to the urgency.

Two children were able to come out of this alive and heros, at the ages of 10 and 12 respectively, a bond forming between the two that will be unbreakable, even after years, but that was sadly put to the test. Grace and Gabriel’s father left them shortly after each birth, only resulting them in being orphans after the accident. Lance was first, and very eager, to bring up the idea of adoption to his mother, who loved those children as her own, and agreed wholeheartedly. Despite being a poor family, who was already rather large, they began the process, that was put to a stop quickly. After three days of paperwork, the children turned up missing, leaving no evidence behind of where they went or why they left. Lance and Mrs. McClain were left in a frantic search for the children, who were last seen sneaking onto a cargo ship to Florida, neither of them stopping the search, not even years later.

 

Keith’s hand had worked it’s way up to his mouth, shock and hurt bubbling around his brain, making him feel dizzy with emotion. He brushed the screen away with the tips of his fingers, putting it back into the control panel underneath him. He was leaning on it subconsciously, supporting his weight when his legs started to give out from underneath him. He started to question how well he really knew the Blue Paladin, beginning to feel a little more hurt that Lance hadn’t even mentioned anything like this. They weren’t the closests people on the ship, but even if he told anyone it would have gotten around, and maybe he just didn’t like talking about this part of his life, but still. He felt his heart constrict, he wished so much to be closer to Lance, but he was making it a lot harder than it probably should be, why did he hate him so much?

Despite what he found before, Keith’s curiosity came back, urging his hand forward to the downcast screen. He felt his fingers pull back, only to be pushed forward again, his mind unable to make the decision. He felt like he was invading his privacy, but he also felt like he should already know these things, even though Lance thought otherwise. He saw the screen flash up before he knew what he was doing, leaving off in the same spot as before. Keith outstretched his arm, exiting the medical files and opening a different one. 

He learned the hard why that the castle was a little more powerful than they thought. The castle was able to reach inside your mind and pull out the big, and small, details of your life for the sole purpose of making it more comfortable. It was able to change the lighting and temperature in your room, with the exception of more general rooms that had a set temperature, it could make the food goo change color due to your mood, green being just an average calm feeling, it could even automatically start a bath for you when you wanted one. It was freaky when he walked into the shared bathroom to find a bath going and the smell of the mornings in the desert he cherished so much wafting around the room. He also knew it stored all your memories automatically down in a lower part of the ship, where they could be played back in a virtual reality way.

He opened a file on Lance, finding a picture from Lance’s memories, of him at a desk with a pair of glasses on, eyes crossed and in only his blue boxers. There was a little girl on his bed with brown curls falling a little past her shoulder and bright blue eyes laughing at him and another boy with curly brown hair and skin darker than the girls to match Lance’s. He appeared to be grabbing for something, assuming the glasses where his and Lance took them. They didn’t look like any of the tall brown skinned kids in the picture Lance had showed them from his phone before it died so he assumed, once again, that they were the Diaz's he was so close to. He felt a pang of jealousy as he kept going through the pictures of Lance’s memories, the best ones almost always involving the curly haired kids, jealous of the fact that he was able to open up to them, but not him. He stopped at another one, noticing how all of them were in a third person, which he found kind of disturbing that the castle was able to do that. The memory had a different feel to it though, it seemed happier to him than the others, and he quickly found out why. 

He reached his hand up, guilt flaring through him in enough waves to almost make him pull back but he didn’t. He kept scrolling through the pictures, stopping every now and then to take a closer look, only causing his thirst for answers to grow in a way that couldn’t be quenched by the pictures alone. He made a mental note to ask Pidge and Allura to go over the specifics of the castle with him seeing as how he wouldn’t want people going through his mind, which only made him guiltier. He looked over his shoulder while keeping his body forward to look at Lance.

“What else don’t I know about you?” He spoke to himself, whispering and turning his body away from the floating green screen. 

All the main lights in the room were shut off, the most light illuminating off of the tube that held Lance’s sleeping form, the rest of the light coming from the smaller less bright circles around the control panel in a larger round of healing pods and the dim green screen above the controls. He turned away from the panel completely setting his head in his hands with a sigh. He didn’t really feel like leaving Lance to come out of the healing pod alone, but he also didn’t feel like sitting there until he came out, even though Lance had saved his life seeing as how that’s what they’re supposed to do as Paladins of Voltron. He stood up, maybe he could find something to take his mind off Lance, and his old friends.

He felt his legs stand up from his slouched position on the ground, giving Lance one last stare, longing and anger passing between them in a passionate battle before he turned around and walked out of the dark room, leaving Lance alone. The only noise in the could hear was the sound of his own breathing and footsteps, chills going up and down his spine at the aloneness of it all. Sure he was used to being alone all the time, in the comfort of his empty bedroom with his thoughts, but the problem was this time he didn’t want to be with his thoughts, he didn’t want to let his thoughts drift to Lance or those new memories he just saw because all they seemed to do was make him feel worse about it all. His eyes drifted to the walls that were clad in the same stripes as all the others ones, blues and reds twisting in and out of each other in a pattern, pretending like he was still on earth watching the blues and reds turn dark at each sunset.

He had a particular fondness of the way Night looked, which is why he wanted to be a space pilot in the first place. He loved the moon and the stars and the way supernovas lit up the darkness with little white lights printed on it, the way the moon changed like a person he could relate to and not staying exactly the same as the bearing sun who seemed more like a deity he could never mess with. He also liked the coolness and peace, the night was a time of serenity and sleep in which he used to pray and hope when he was going through foster families. He shook his head, trying to make his thoughts fly out of his mind like a dog shaking off water. He wasn’t on earth anymore, he couldn’t pretend like the moon thought he was special because there is no moon out here. Just space, which he wasn’t entirely mad about, he just wanted a space filler too. Like Lance, he thought to himself, making him push his reddening cheeks into his palm.

He ignored all his thoughts, and took a left to his room, locking himself in there for the next three days, only coming out for food and trying, until Lance came out.

~~~

Lance doesn’t remember changing his clothes, or being put in a healing chamber, but he does remember almost being blown to bits. They were on a “Mandatory Diplomatic Mission” as Allura likes to call them, where they would go to planet and try to get them on Voltron’s side. Most of the time they were easy to sway, but this time Shiro was missing and they still couldn’t form Voltron which only chiseled at the already thin balance. They were so close, so close to getting them on their side when one of the bright orange inhabitants threw a bomb in the palace then proceeded to blame it on the “mind controlling” Paladins. 

The problem with that is everyone believed him and starting shouting and throwing their weapons around while the Paladins were already on their way out. They already had to deal with a few… unsupportive crowds so it wasn’t the first time they had to make a quick escape. After that only one more problem stood standing, which was the injured Lance that collapsed on the ground with a hand over his bleeding torso. He had actually- initially -been the farthest away from the blast, until he realized Keith was the closest. When you sprint across the dining hall and lounge yourself on top of the explosive itself it leaves some pretty bad damage. It was a good thing it was small and he had armor on.

He stumbled forward letting out a small shriek when his legs caught on the small step that was in front of him, making him land face first on the cold metal ground. He groaned, pulling his legs over the ledge and twisting his body so he was was laying on his back. He looked around and grabbed his head, his vision spinning and his forehead throbbing with a dull ache. He was in the healing chamber, the pod he was previously in still standing and wide open emitting an eerie blue glow which was the only light in the room aside from the light green illuminating from the control panel in the center of the circle of pods. There were also small circles of light around the control panel, indicating where the rest of them were, that Lance couldn’t help but associate with a video game in the way they looked like teleporters.

His vision swept over everything in the dark room, sweeping past the shadow covered machines and landing on his own body. A dark blush covered his face, tipping his ears with a bright red that ran down to his neck. The white and gray bodysuit that hugged his features tightly was not his normal clothes, which means someone would have had to change him. He sat up quickly, hands shoved to cover his face, despite being alone in the room, from anything else. Gods he hoped it wasn’t Allura who changed him. No, he hoped it wasn’t Keith who changed him, but not for the reason you’d think.

Lance was completely insecure about his body, not the way it was shaped or the way it was built, but what was on it. It was littered with burns and scars that have absolutely no relation to the battles they fought with the Galra. Skin grafts and tissue expansion surgery still evident on his skin. It just made him feel worse about himself and he wasn’t sure why cause, sure, they all had scars from the Galra, but he took great pride in his looks (This wasn’t meant to sound snobbish) because he felt that because he would never be physically capable of somethings, he’d at least look like it. He used to have burns on his skin, but they were surgically removed and replaced by new skin, hence the skin grafts and tissue expansion, but it didn’t leave completely.

He stood up smiling at the way his body didn’t ache, except for the slight throbbing in his head, like it usually did when he woke up. He took a few cautious steps, making sure he was stable on his two feet to not repeat another fall like before. When he was ninety-nine percent sure of his walking ability he left the room with the telltale swoop of the metallic door. He scoped the hallway, silently cursing the person who designed it and made all the hallways look exactly the same. He’d learned to navigate through most of the hallways, but mainly the frequently used ones, and he normally didn’t come to the healing chambers for any reason so he wasn’t sure where he was going.

He spent the next 5 minutes walking through endless turns of white walls trying to find something distinctable between turns and the colored stripes that lined the walls. He looked back down at the floor and focused on his steps, not trying to stifle them like he normally did when walking somewhere, just because he didn’t like the thought of someone creeping up on him due to the fact that they could pinpoint him by the amount of sound he made when he walked. It wasn’t too bad when he was barefoot in a body suit though, unlike his bulky boots it didn’t make very much sound when he actually wished someone would hear him.

He turned the next corner, not sure what he was expecting, but it certainly wasn’t running into the dark haired, purple eyed Paladin. He stumbled back, hearing Keith hit the floor next to him from the unexpected impact.

“What the-?” Keith stopped short, looking up and down Lance’s body, who had become a little self-conscious over the fact that it really hugged certain places. Keith smiled, making Lance’s insides heat up and the blush return to his face as he watched Keith stand up and extend an arm to Lance.

“You’re out.” Lance looked at the hand that was held before him, so skinny and small but yet way too strong. He took it hesitantly not sure if excitement or nerves were bubbling around his stomach. Keith pulled up like Lance weighed nothing, surprising the boy even further who was hanged so hard he almost fell to the floor again. The feelings he felt were almost completely gone and replaced by a slight annoyance he wished would go away.

“Watch it! You almost threw me to the ground again!” Lance smacked himself internally. He’ll admit he always started most of the arguments and for petty reasons at that but he just didn’t understand why, “I- uh, Sorry, thanks for helping me up.” Lance rubbed his arm sheepishly, biting his tongue a little. Keith on the other hand let a little smile play on his lips, an eyebrow quirking up.

“No problem, uh see you later.” Keith turned around, ready to reach his original destination and Lance couldn’t help but let his head fall a little while he turned around to find his room. What was wrong with him? The more he thought about what just happened to worse he felt about it. Keith seemed really excited about something, not that it really showed, but if Keith was smiling and sounding genuinely happy something good must be happening. He bit back on the tears he felt welling in his eyes, ‘I guess they weren’t really thinking about me, or worried for that matter’. He let out an audible sigh, that’s okay, he didn’t need to be on their minds 24/7 but it would feel nice if he was there when he was hurt, or in danger. Whatever.

He wiped the moisture from his eyes, shaking his head so his hair fell in his face, and kept his eyes on the floor. He didn’t even look up when Shiro walked by and talked to him about being safe or something Lance wasn’t really listening to. Hell he didn’t even look up when Allura walked by, giving him a confused look when he didn’t even attempt to flirt with her, which she had grown rather fond of during the past months in space.

She grabbed him by the arm anyway, pulling him with a harshness that almost had him falling for the third time today. His face contorted into one of surprise as he stumbled along behind her, with his arm outstretched in her grasp. He coughed to gain her attention, only earning the flick of her head in his direction.

“Excuse me, Princess, but what are we doing?” He asked plainly, not even trying to muster a fake flirt about the why she was manhandling him. “Princess?”

“We’re going to have a meeting… about Earth.” That spiked his attention, so much so he missed the smile that was evident in her voice, making so many questions twist around in his head. Trying his hardest to keep the thought for the actual meeting and to not annoy Allura he bit his lip once again, fisting his hands in excitement. 

His heart twisted in a way that could only be described as joy, making him wish he had something the squeeze out his excitement so he didn’t feel like jumping out one of the windows into endless space. He was so close to letting out a yell he had to clamp his free hand over his mouth, because there was a fucking chance they would be going back to earth. They turned the last corner, Allura finally freeing Lance’s arm once in the room and taking her seat at the head of the dinner table with the grace of a true princess. Lance gaped at her for a minute, taking same time to realize she was motioning for him to sit in the seat next to her. He shot her a half smile that wasn’t meant to be flirty. He had grown to respect her on a much higher level after some of the battles, treating her more like the princess she was meant to be before her home was destroyed, making a valid effort to be there for her and not act like she was a prize to be won.

He sat down ignoring the fact that everyone had gone completely quiet upon his entrance along with the fact that he was still clad in only the tight white suit. He looked around, Hunk seemed completely relieved Lance was okay while Shiro and Keith wore small smiles after having already seen him. Pidge on the other hand was ignoring everyone completely, except for Coran for whom she was talking to, listening with the look on her face she got when tinkering or reading. Her mouth was open and her eyes were shining probably imagining all the things she could do with the information she was gaining right now.

“Excuse me…”

All heads snapped to the front of the table following the musical voice of their leader, Allura, who was obviously trying to get somewhere with their small gathering. She looked to the side, making eye contact with Shiro who gave her a small nod and she turned back, facing her crowd with a newfound confidence.

“As you know,” she motioned to everyone except Lance, “And as you don’t,” She pointed at Lance, “You have been in cryosleep for three days.”

Lance’s mouth fell open, and he could swear he heard Keith laughing next to him, but he was too distracted by what she just said. No wonder Hunk had looked so relieved, Lance had been ‘dead’ for three days. He was a little mad no one had told him when they met him in the hallway and was about to bring it up when Allura continued.

“We’ve been waiting to tell you so we could explain everything that happened over the past days… And a lot had happened.” She smiled sheepishly, looking at Lance who was about to explode but kept his temper. He smiled such a fake smile it almost hurt Allura to look at.

“Go on.” He spun his hand in the air, motioning for her to continue with no emotion present on his face. She nodded.

“The first thing we investigated was the Galra samples Pidge-” She cut herself off and shot Pidge the dirtiest look she could muster, and it legitimately made Lance shudder. “-Stole from the Tausinites, who were cruel already, and tried to blow us up.” Pidge had the decency to look a little sorry, but everyone knew it was fake. Lance looked up at her confused,

“What do you mean by ‘Galra samples’? Are you talking about their blood?” He could hear Pidge snicker behind him, but again he didn’t care, he just want to be caught up one hundred percent.

“Yes and No.” The snickers stopped, “Half of the stolen samples were Galran blood yes, but the other half-” Her voice went a little breathless and Lance couldn’t help but think it was pretty, “Was only half Galran.” Keith perked up at this discovery, none of them having been told about this, it peaked all interests. Keith was the first one to break the unsettling silence,

“So what was the other half?” He asked, everyone silently shaking their heads in agreement.

“Well, that’s what’s so extraordinary about it,” Hunk and Lance biting their tongues in attempt to hold in their laughter at the way Allura pronounces ‘extraordinary’, saying it more like ‘extra-ordinary’ with a space. Hunk was pinched by Pidge while Lance was slapped in the back of the head, by non other than Keith. “It has traces of pure quintessence, which is basically pure life, which has only been seen in Alteans, but also in what you humans would call gods.”

That was not where everyone thought it was going. They reacted like they were kicked in the stomach, everyone lurching forward, except for Coran who looked extremely confused. They looked at her, confusion in their wide eyes while they waited for an explanation that never came on it’s own. 

“Uh- Allura, you do know that those are just- like -legends or something?” Shiro spoke to her softly, like he was coaxing her away from a bad dream. “They aren’t real.” He added more plainly after a minute of no response.

Then she laughed. Like hardocre laughed in their faces like it was the craziest thing she’s ever heard.

“YOU do know they are, right?” She laughed out, gasping as she sat back down in her chair, no one really realizing she had been standing in the first place. “Okay, Okay, Let me explain, I’m aware of how oblivious some humans are to the deities, but that’s besides the point.” She ignored their flabbergasted attempts to explain to her. “All Alteans are related to the same gods that rule your planet, expect yours rule a lot more secretly-” She cut off the questions, raising her hand in the stop signal, she could see rising in everyone’s expressions, “- Questions will wait until the end.” She put her hand down to continue, “On Altea, gods and goddesses would roam our planet freely and mate with whomever they wished, because we never stopped worshipping them much unlike earth.”

 

“Wait- Allura -What gods on Earth are you referring to exactly?” Lance cut her off despite her previous warning. They all looked at him, hoping he was joking but they must have missed the way his face went completely serious at the beginning of the conversation, or the way his body went rigid with belief. He really hoped the conversation wasn’t going the way he thought it was. 

“The greeks of course.”

His blood went cold, and he could feel the slight burning sensation of vomit rising in his throat, “No.” He choked out, swallowing the rising burn in his mouth. “Please, continue…” He finally got out, for once, hating the attention he was getting.

“Right… anyway, but on Earth, your people stopped believing years ago forcing the gods to obey certain laws of the universe, making them secondary rulers. Once most people stopped believing, they were only allowed to leave, what you call, Olympus in a human form for mating. They were not allowed to directly interfere with human life, but their half human offsprings could.”

Everyone looked at each other, a little unsettled, except for Lance who was on the verge of puking, or crying, or both.

“The children were born with powers, able to manipulate the certain things their parent ruled over, which explains Altean powers such as mine, but on Earth they attract monsters.” She made a noise, in between a growl and a shriek at the raised hand of Pidge in the back. Pidge let her hand fall back down with a crestfallen expression. “Earth is a, er, corrupted planet-” She glared at the offended looks of the Paladins, “-so portal form that connect the underworld, and realms of monsters to it, letting monsters escape and kill the half-breeds.” Lance heard Keith growl at the term, and couldn’t blame him, it had sounded so animalistic like she was referring to dogs over people. She ignored it though and continued, “They had to go into hiding, at a location even I’m unaware of, where only demigods can enter and keep them hidden from the crusading humans who dislike their kind, and monsters who were sent to kill them.”

Lance felt his dry throat swell up when he tried to speak, everything she had spoken had hit him so close to home in a way they’d never understand. He’d heard that exact same story 5 years ago before his best friends left him for good. He stood up, heat shooting through him as images from that night slashed through his vision, making him stumble to the ground away from the table. He could hear murmurs coming from behind him, they sounded a lot quieter than they probably were, but Lance couldn’t focus on that.

He remembers, oh how he wishes he could forget, the way the curly haired boy tried to explain what he was, why it was too dangerous to stay without their mother. They way his sister didn’t know, and Lance yelled at her anyway. ‘They had been best friends!’ He had yelled at him, ‘They were supposed to stay together! Especially after their mother died!’ Lance could feel the vomit leave his mouth before he knew what was happening, hitting the floor with unflattering noises he still couldn’t hear. His vision was still clouded with the way his best friend had cried when Lance yelled at her, ‘Monster! Stay away from me!’ He had taken his anger out on her, and she had only been ten and didn’t understand what he was talking about, he was supposed to be there for her, and he wasn’t. The memories would haunt him every night, and now he was being forced to live through it again.

His best friends had been demigods. He knew they were real. Now they needed their help.

Lance doesn't even remember when he stopped puking, only everything going black and he had lost all senses.


	2. Forget for a Moment

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance has a moment, while Keith has his own. Who knew they'd end up in the same place at the end?

“Wha-what? Lance! Lance please!”

“Lance!”

“Please~”

Lance’s body jerked forward, breathing heavily he ran his fingers through his hair, eyes shooting open. He groaned to himself, feeling the wetness on his cheeks spread further as more tears continued to fall from his eyes. Again. It was that same voice haunting him again. That same voice, sweet high-pitched voice, that had pleaded with him to be reasonable when all he could do was be angry. Angry at Gabriel and Grace, his only childhood friends who were just looking for someone to confide in, someone who could be strong, and he shoved them away.

Memories of the day before started hitting him like a wrecking ball, leaving him bruised and sick. He put his sweat covered hands on his overheated face, for once in his life he actually wasn’t ready to go back, especially if it’s to go see the reasons he left. He remembers the topic and the way everyone thought he was crazy for believing it, but he’s seen it before. He’s seen someone twist their bodies into the shadows and jump out of another one like it was a swimming pool, no way it was just a ‘trick of the light, or in his head.’ That’s all the two years of counseling taught him. 

He shook of the blankets covering his lap and legs, letting it hit the floor with a soft thud, and standing up only to immediately fall back down. He landed on his knees with an unappealing crack, vomit rising in his throat again with the same stinging sensation as before then letting it loose on the floor. He threw up everything that was still left in his stomach from last night, not stopping until he passed two solid dry heaves, groaning into the horrid sensation. He felt his stomach clench again involuntarily, the rest of his body curling away from the mess in the middle of the floor. He let out a whine, he long legs stuffed under him, and covered his hands with his mouth, trying to keep himself from gagging on nothing again.

After twenty minutes of sitting on his floor he finally had enough courage to try and stand up, praying to whatever was there that he wouldn’t throw up again. He grabbed the side of the bed, making a mental note to get something to clean up the vomit later, and pulled his body from the ground and making his way into his closet. He pulled out his clothes, looking over the burns on his skin before pulling his jacket over his arms. He wasn’t ready to show anyone yet.

He walked through the door, hearing it close behind him with it’s signature click, and headed for the dining room despite not being sure if he could force himself to eat anything at the moment. He walked into the room and breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Allura and Keith were the only people in the room. He wasn’t sure why but he wasn’t ready to see everyone or at least not everyone at the same time, maybe he could confront Shrio, but that seemed the least likely out of all the possible scenarios. Him and Shiro had a complicated relationship to say the least. They had more of a father/son relationship, which wasn’t weird to either of them, except for when they talked about feelings or whatever. It was always just as awkward with him than Lance’s real dad. Maybe it was just who Shiro was, or what he’s been through, but the man was terrible with feelings. Not that Lance doesn’t like talking to him, it’s just certain things make him feel like he’s being judged to much for comfort because Shiro just seems too perfect. He’s strong, tall, a good leader, amazing fighter, and has a genuinely nice personality so he’s really hard to live up to. Lance always screws up when he around, or he shrinks into the shadows and gives up, only ever confident when he’s making jokes, because they’re just jokes. But this wasn’t Shiro. It was Allura and Keith, and he could deal with it.

He swallowed his anxiety and sat down in his normal spot around the table, next to Allura and across from Keith, who was normally next to him. Allura didn’t even try to dance around the subject, where as Keith was trying to get her to slow down a bit, noticing the obvious discomfort on Lance’s face.

“Are you okay Lance? That was one nasty spell yesterday.” She smiled, but it was a nice smile that made Lance feel safe like the smile his older sister would give him at concerts or singing recitals. He tried his best to smile back, only managing a half-grin that was still whole hearted.

“I’m okay now. I’m- I’m good.” 

Allura smiled again, brighter and with much more teeth showing. Everything that happened last night was forgotten and all he could focus on was the way she so much resembled his sister. He was so caught up in his own thoughts, he didn’t notice the way Keith glared at him, but not really him, just the way he was ogling Allura again. He’d never admit it outloud, but gods he wished Lance would look at him like that. He trashed the thought as soon as it entered his mind, mentally shoving it in a pit of fire.

“So…” Keith spoke first, making Lance and Allura face him hesitantly, “A- about Earth…” He looked to the side slowly, making sure the topic was okay for Lance to hear, but the slight flick of his head gave him permission to continue. “What exactly are we trying to accomplish by finding these, these, demigods?” Keith let the word roll of his tongue, but it still sounded foreign to him. Allura bit the inside of her lip, she hadn’t really thought about it, only having thought they played a part in the game they were playing. They obviously had a connection, but what was it?

“Well, as you all know, Haggar is Altean, right?” They nodded, “The thing is, this blood wasn’t hers, so they have other demigods in their midst. What we’re going to do it still being discussed, but if we had a demigod from earth, maybe they could tell us anything that could help us.”

It was pretty straight forward, and would probably help them, but how? Keith and Lance both, slowly, looked at Allura not sure if they should ask more questions or let it resolve itself on it’s own. Lance decided against it and stood up, hands on the table for support, and a fake smile in place. He just needed to think. Yeah, thinking would be easy, right?

“I’m going to go- uh -train, see you guys later?” He didn’t wait for a response but instead headed for his lion, she always made it easy to think. Blue had a way of getting inside his head, literally and metaphorically, and talk sense into him or just talk to him, whichever was needed at the moment. She would work her thoughts into his brain to have silent conversations with her cub, making him feel better when he felt worthless, or like giving up. He was so lucky to have her, and couldn’t think of a world without her there to support him, and right now he really needed support. The closer he got to the hanger she was held in the better he felt, already, he was ready to talk it out though.

He walked past Pidge and Hunk on the way, but it was a vague meeting that was dismissed quickly and quietly, Lance waving at them, then rushing past them like he was being chased. He annoyed himself with the relief he felt once he was alone, this was totally unlike him. He lived off of the attention from others and he loved people and their contact and the fact that right now, right now, when everything seemed to be falling apart again he was pushing everyone away and it hasn’t even started. They were going to start worrying if he couldn’t at least act a little better. He temporarily pushed the thoughts aside at the first glance he got at Blue, running into her open mouth like it was his mother’s arms.

“Hey girl…” His voice was wavering, and for a moment he was actually wondering how it would feel to cry right now, maybe it would help to get it out of his system. “I just need to talk. Are you ready for a long story?” He heard the low grumble in his head like it was his own thoughts, smiling at it, he went on. “Can you at least tell me if demigods are real?” He could feel her mentally nodding, giving him a silent ‘yes’ that made his skin feel a little colder and ridden with goosebumps. “I really messed up. I really, really fucked up.”

He looked at the ceiling, almost like he was expecting an answer then back down to his palms, “I- I had a friend… two actually. They, were the only people who wanted to be friends with me. And I- I-” He tried his best to keep his voice from cracking, trying his very hardest to keep the tears at bay, but they came anyway. He let out a sob that almost sounded like a shriek as the hot wetness flooded from his eyes and down his cheeks. He could feel them continue to fall out of his eyes, landing on his coat and hands and neck in messy puddles. He let out a small sniffle, rubbing his eyes and cheeks to wipe away the tears.

“Her name was Grace, and his name was Gabriel. They were siblings, and always there for me when I needed them to be… but not once did they ask anything of me but to be their friend.” He pulled his knees up to the seat, hugging them close to his chest and burying his face in them making his voice muffled. “They- uh -didn’t know their father and lived alone with their mother, their famous doctor mother, who always treated my poor family without a cost.” He paused and took a deep breath, “The best people then, and now, I still can’t think of a better family.”

“But the day of the fire! It- I-!” He choked on his words, forcing him to stop talking and mentally added, ‘I don’t think I can do this.’ and earned a small metal creak from his lion. Of course she wasn’t going to force him to tell her when he really didn’t want to, he just wanted to crawl into his bed and let everything go away, and Blue was okay with that, which only made Lance love her even more. She was just like a mother protecting her cub. “I am really sorry.” He heard her, he felt her, sending him waves of pure emotion, telling him it’ll be okay, telling him he didn’t have to go through this alone. Thanks.

He stayed there for a while, just basking in the heat of Blue’s cockpit, not really wanting to move but still not ready to talk about that night. He wasn’t sure he was ready for anyone to dig that deep into his life, the crushing anxiety of them seeing him any differently than before really settling in. What if they hated him? There was no way he would be able to deal with that, so hopefully they wouldn’t find out anymore than they needed. He took a deep breath, his thoughts and tears finally subsiding into something more natural. He could feel his natural smile finding its rightful place above his chin, resting perfectly like it was exactly where it was supposed to be.

Once he was finally able to part with his beloved lion mother he wandered the halls of the castle, finally stopping once he heard the familiar laughs of Hunk and Pidge in the other room, it was like a call to him and he felt himself float towards the room without really needing to tell himself to go there. Two things happened upon arrival; Allura was on top of Shiro’s shoulders, her legs interlocked around his neck and laughing her head off and Pidge was doing the same thing to Hunk. The second thing he saw was the entire floor in that room had turned into a seemingly giant pillow. Yup. The whole floor was a softy cushion, bright blue and flexible.

Allura and Pidge were playing chicken with each other while Keith watched, sitting on the unchanged couch. He was laughing too but his expression showed all too much that he wanted to join in, but obviously there wasn’t anyone left. Except for Lance. Lance let a smile bloom on his face, it was the perfect moment to show everyone he was okay, so he jumped across the plush material, savoring the way it felt on his bare feet versus the way the cold metal did.

“Hey!” Okay here we go. No time to back out now. Thousands of cheap pick-up lines running through his head, just enough to be serious but also so he could deny it if he needed to. “Keeeeeeith! Wanna play, or are you… chicken?” Lance almost fainted at Keith’s reaction. Keith’s whole face lit up in the most breathtaking smile Lance had ever seen, a light blush dusting his cheeks while he stood up all too quickly. It may have filled Lance with the smallest bubble of hope.

“No way I’m chicken, sharpshooter.” Lance was swooning, actually swooning, when Keith grabbed onto him. Lance squatted down the best he could on the bouncy material so Keith could climb onto his shoulders, and Lance suddenly became all too aware of how close Keith’s crotch was to his face. If he turned his head just the right way… No. He is not going to screw this up. 

“Let’s Play!” Lance screamed as he dived for Shiro, Allura locking hands with Keith, who’s thighs clenched around Lance’s neck involuntary. The blush that was on his face was quickly spreading until it covered his body head to toe, making him heat up in place he really didn’t want to in a room full of the rest of his team. They kept at it though, Shiro probably being the best at balancing, but Allura being the worst at staying on. She was laughing and fighting but it was still such a new thing to her, she didn’t quite understand. Hunk was obviously the biggest, but it was different with him because he was naturally clumsy and Lance got him down with one large swoop of his hand. Pidge on the other hand was downright competitive. She literally jumped off of Hunk last second and lunged herself at Keith, wrapping her arms around his torso and her legs around Lance’s, who was the least ready for that and fell face first into the soft pillow beneath him. In the end it was Shiro and Allura still left standing, despite being the only ones who were very confused about the whole situation.

They played a total of five more times, everyone switching teams every now and then but for the most part sticking to the original. One time Keith- the flexible bastard -fucking flipped Lance around like a toy. He fell backwards on Lance but Lance, being who he was, wouldn’t let go of his legs, leaving Keith dangling and screaming behind Lance UNTIL he fucking brought both hands in between Lance’s legs and stuck his damn head in between his legs. In one fatal motion he kicked his legs hard and Lance came flying with them, flipping them until Keith was on the bottom and Lance was backwards on Keith's shoulders. Lance was recovering from the shock when he finally turned around, ready to face the undefeated Shiro and Allura.

The night was crazy as fuck, and Lance could have sworn they were drunk if only there was alcohol on the ship, but they eventually calmed down, laying down on the soft pillows beneath them when finally,

“To Earth!” Allura yelled, giggling to herself while doing so.

“To Earth!” They all chorused back, even Lance who was ready to face his past, and who’s to say he’ll even see them again? It could very much be someone totally different. Lance smiled, turning to his right where he was met with a very excited Keith staring right back at him, “To the break we deserve to have.” He said, knowing how quietly he said it to only let Lance hear him who smiled in response. It was a beautiful night, even if they weren’t on earth yet or even had any perception on time, they felt like everything was beautiful, and everything was going to be alright.

They all fell asleep like that, huddled together on the floor in a giant heap of pillows and blankets, cuddling with each other like there was no other care in the world. Allura fell asleep in Shiro’s unknowing embrace, while Pidge fell asleep sprawled out on top of Hunk, who was on his back, hugging him like the giant teddy bear he was. Little did everyone else know, but Lance fell asleep with his arms wide open, back facing Hunk, like he was waiting for someone to crawl into them and little did everyone else know that Keith was still awake when he rolled into them quite purposely, letting himself feel loved for the first time in what felt like forever, falling asleep in Lance’s arms without a care in the world. He unconsciously wrapped his arms around the Blue Paladin who squeezed back a little harder, Keith nuzzling into his neck and inhaling the faint smell of ocean water and oranges while Lance buried his nose in the smell of peaches and early morning dew that lingered in Keith’s inky blackness.

~~~

Lance was the first to wake up, and in the middle of the night at that, noticing the boy in his arms. He let out a small puff of air, completely enticed by the sight in front of him. Keith looked absolutely perfect. His body was wrapped around Lance's like his life depended on it and his hair was disheveled around his neck and face but it looked good. His plush lips were slightly open and his eyebrows were scrunched together the slightest bit. Lance was way too excited over the feeling of the adorable teen clinging to him to notice the whimper that escaped his perfect lips. The first time.

The second time was followed by the swift shift of Keith's hips, rutting up against Lance's leg. To say Lance's brain short circuited would be an understatement, his brain totally caught on fire and blew out of his head. Then Keith let out another whimper. The problem with this one though was it was loud, and Keith's erection was very prominent in his gray sweatpants. Lance tried to hold back a moan of his own when Keith brought his whole body forward with a particularly hard thrust, Lance's clothed erection rubbing against Keith's bare stomach where his shirt was riding up over his belly button. It took all his willpower not to grabbing Keith and start rutting against him with all the strength he could muster, but it was getting harder by the second (No pun intended). Every time Keith shuddered or let out a small whimper, Lance’s body lit up and he had to hold himself back, only giving into the occasional flick of his hips when met with Keiths.

Lance wasn’t even bothered by the fact that he had no idea why Keith was doing it. Maybe he was having a wet dream, because he could certainly feel it, or maybe it was just hormones and having a warm body next to him. Lance didn’t even care for that matter, because his long term crush was humping him like a body pillow and he couldn’t be more excited about it. Lance looked around carefully, suppressing the urge to shudder at how kinky it was, because the whole rest of the team was laying no further than two feet away from them, and the slightest sound would disturb the -trained to be ready at any moment- Paladins. Lance wasn’t even necessarily a kinky person, but this was definitely getting him hot and bothered with nowhere to go and no one to turn to because he was not going to wake up Keith. No matter how much he wanted to, or how much he absolutely needed to, Keith was not the kind of person to let it go, and if for some reason Keith didn’t like Lance back he’d never let it go. He’d probably be beyond embarrassed and expect Lance to bring it up every breathing moment, so he’d avoid him at all cost no doubt and Lance wouldn’t be able to live with never seeing him again unless it was very, very necessary.

So Lance laid there, not moving and not giving into his instincts to just thrust up even a little bit, trying to be satisfied with the small amount of friction Keith was giving him on his own until he finally felt Keith’s arms wrap around him tighter, shuddering into Lance’s numb arm and shoulder, a small wet patch appearing on his sweatpants. It made them discolored and Lance could feel it, even through his own pants, which didn’t do much to help his situation. Keith was breathing heavily and a small smile replaced the open mouthed breathing and his eyebrows rested gently against his eyes, an angelic look covering his features. Lance thought he looked way to innocent for someone who just came in his pants by using Lance like a boy toy. His grip around Lance lightened slightly and he cuddled impossibly closer, enjoying the warmth he was receiving from him. 

Lance finally fell asleep after an hour more of laying there and savoring the way Keith felt in his arms, think of things like how Allura managed to change the entire floor of the room into a giant bouncy pillow, but he mentally stored it for later reminding himself to ask her later. Once he was finally asleep again is when Keith started to shift, sending pulses through Lance’s sleeping body when he shook around in his arms. Lance heard a sharp intake of breath before he finally fell asleep, not aware of the waking body beneath him.

Keith on the other hand was completely aware of their position, feeling Lance’s arms around him and making him hotter than before, knowing fully what was going to happen if he stayed. Thoughts ran through his mind, making him want to grind into the body on top of him, but he held against them, shuffling out from under him as best he could without waking the boy. Once he was shimmied out he took a few steps back, trying to make it to the hard floor without disturbing the giant pillow they all laid on too much on the journey from one part of the room to the next. He sucked in a breath when he finally made it to the cold metal floor of the ship, his bare feet cooling off immediately at the contact, it was a good feeling, so good that he wanted to lay on the floor to cool his overheated face. His body did start to cool down the slightest bit, sweat dripping down his face and body leaving him a cold mess in the hallway as he struggled to breathe through the unannounced heat.

He felt the particularity cold spot on the front of his sweats, groaning into his hands in full knowledge of what had happened. He only hoped Lance wouldn’t know. He removed his hands from his face, the blush not have going down at all, and tried to think through the blurriness of it all, forcing his body to move towards his room where he’d be able to get a hold of himself. He stumbled through the hallway, his face scrunching up and his stomach clenching involuntarily with a feeling he couldn’t distinguish, everything seemed to be spinning until he finally collapsed his room, opening the door he programmed to shut automatically and tipping into his bed. He sprawled out on his bed, feeling his body heat up even more though he wasn’t sure it was possible. He removed his clothes, leaving him in nothing but black boxers while sweat continued to bead everywhere around him, the sheet beneath him becoming wet.

 

Shit

He fucking knew it was coming, it had happened once before, only once, but it had happened nonetheless. In the middle of the desert in the scorching heat with no one there to help him, his Galra ears popped out along with a tail, his skin turning a light purple. It was beyond scary when it happened, but nothing nearly as frightful as when it really started. Ever part of his body felt like it was on fire, pure arousal flooding his senses without anyway of knowing how to get rid of it. It was torture and he had no idea how to handle it, no one to turn to, not even Shiro was there to tell him everything was going to be okay. He was all alone with the completely new feeling and the heightened senses, everything being too much but not enough all at the same time. And he looked like the enemy for a week, while his body produced fluids in places it definitely should not have on it’s own or at all for that matter, especially not on a human. It was scary for him, but he still didn’t have anyone to help him deal with it, and it was still beyond scary knowing it was coming back again. What would Allura think? What would the team think? What would Lance think? Thoughts swarmed around his head, filling him with added noise to everything that already didn’t make any sense. He couldn’t think straight, and he knew it, it was only a matter of time until someone comes looking for him and will find him like this.

He tried to even out his breathing, but the thought of Lance entered his mind again and how he really wanted him to be here with him. The last time this happened he was alone, which was bad in all the normal senses, but he was alone which meant there was no need to suppress the urges (Even though he tried to anyway) but that also meant there was no one there to make the urges stronger. What was going to happen to him when he was so full of pleasure and arousal that even the sound of Lance’s voice would making him lose all control completely? There was no way it was going to end up okay so his only hope was Lance wouldn’t be the one to walk in him trying to calm himself down.

There was no denying it, Keith was going into heat

~~~

When the rest of the Paladins woke up, they all headed tiredly into the kitchen, sitting around at the table and none of them noticing the Red Paladin missing from the table. They were all too caught up in the aftermath of a good sleep, feeling like they were still asleep but not quite. It was a mess in the kitchen when they all arrived, stumbling in after each other and sitting down in whichever chair was closest to them, not even caring about the normal order they always sat in. Pidge had fallen back asleep on the table, her arms resting on the top so her head could fit in the gap they created, no one daring to touch her because she was dangerous when she was tired. Hunk had tried to get people food to wake them up, along with the little bags of water that were stored in a fridge-like compartment, but he ended up getting one to Shiro and Allura before giving up and joining the sleeping girl on the table.

Lance was the first one to officially wake up, having always been a morning person, and moving around the kitchen to finish the job Hunk started, giving himself Pidge and Hunk a bowl of the green substance and somehow even getting Pidge to grouchily eat some of it. He was also the first to notice Keith was missing from the table, all thoughts of bringing up the subject of Earth gone when he decided to venture into the hallways to find the missing teen. The first place he check was the training deck, but was more than surprised to find it empty due to it always having been Keith’s go-to place, but he moved on. After that he check the living room again just to see if he moved up from the floor, only finally advancing to his room when he was sure the pillow floored area was empty. He did find Coran in a hallway though, fixing up the wiring in part of the ship's walls, but Lance didn’t pay too much attention to that.

He slowly cautioned his way to the room right next to his, stopping completely when he heard a groan emitting from behind the closed door. Lance’s face scrunched up at the smell of something he couldn’t distinguish but it wasn’t really a bad smell. He proceeded the slightest bit, stopping when he came in contact with the door, bringing his fist up to knock on it. He rapped a few times, making a little tune out of it like he did most of the time, but no response came. Instead he just her the sound of breathing becoming a little more prominent. He tapped the door again, this time a little louder, jumping back when an actual moan sounded from the other side. Lance decided to knock one more time, but when once again no answer came he opened the door, the familiar swoosh of air blowing his short brown locks around while he closed his eyes. The smell hit him first, being a lot stronger than outside the door, filling his lungs with the thick musky scent, then he opened his eyes.

Keith was laying in the bed, stripped down to nothing but boxers that were moving down slowly with every little thrust of his hips against the pillow under him, Lance staring without fully knowing what to do. Everything inside Lance froze up, his smooth flirty side along with his smarter logical side until Keith spoke. It was more of a whine than anything out, but it sounded so desperate and needy.

“Lance! Help me, it hurts!” The breathless sound of his voice snaking over Lance’s senses as he stepped into the room and let the door shut behind him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took so long to post, tell me if you want the next chapter to skip the bedroom act or not! (:


	3. Firsts for Everyone

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance and Keith get in a little situation, while Lance's past wakes up once again.

Hot. 

 

Keith looked absolutely beautiful, so much so and Lance had no idea what to do. He was in the room, the door making him jump as it shuts by itself, a puff of air slightly cooling the heated room. Keith never stopped the motions of his hips, letting them curve around the pillow to give him the friction he needed.

 

“Lance  _ please just get over here! _ ” 

 

He took a few hesitant steps forward, barely making it to the bed before Keith grabbed him by the jacket, pulling him on the bed with him. Lance stumbled down, all the air blowing out of him with a little yell. The yell didn’t stop until Lance was laying on his back, Keith somehow flipping him over then straddling his hips all without stopping the grinding motions of his hips. The blush on Lance’s face was completely red, making his cocoa skin glow a little in the dark room. He could feel his own pants tightening with the pressure that was being applied by the groaning boy above him. Lance couldn’t even process what was happening, but he was really trying.

 

Keith was never,  _ ever _ , like this. He was so cool in the head and never took shit from anyone. He was able to remain cool in battles and conversations, next to Allura he was the best at public speaking. He could always defend a point,  _ even if it was wrong _ , like a lawyer who wouldn’t let go until every once was energy had been spilled in it’s defense. He was just so  _ elegant _ , like, Lance could never get dirt on him because he was so regal all the time, so seeing him like this was definitely different.

 

“Keith, please, just tell me what’s wrong.” He was surprised by how smooth his voice sounded, despite having his long term crush straddling him.

 

“I-I’m not exactly sure- ah!” He said breathlessly, groaning in protest when Lance tried to sit up against the headboard.

 

Lance grabbed the boy's hips, not sure why, but so Keith could still grind down on him while he moved. Keith was just so desperate looking, and sounding, that Lance would actually feel cruel for forcing him to stop. He leaned against the headboard, trying to keep his cool for Keith who obviously couldn’t, pulling the boy closer to him and into his arms. Keith buried his face in Lance’s shoulder still pushing his hips up against Lance’s stomach over his groin.

 

“Keith, what do you need?” His voice didn’t sound hard, but it sort of sounded… strict? Demanding? Lance wasn’t sure, but he didn’t miss the shudder that passed through Keith.

 

“I don’t know! Help, just help?!”

 

“With what, sweetheart?” Lance almost slapped a hand over his mouth after that, not really expecting himself to say something like that, but Keith didn’t seem to notice, or care if he did notice.

 

“I-I-I-  _ hng _ \- don’t know what to do?!” That’s when everything clicked, at least sort of.

 

Keith was an orphan. It wasn’t something he hid, thought he wasn’t really open about it either, so really everyone knew. But that’s just it, he never had a parent to ask questions to, or someone he truly trusted like that. Other than Shiro, but they must have met when they were at least teens, which would be a weird conversation for both of them. He probably never had time for “exploring” or reading about it, or any devices to look it up, so of course he didn’t know what to do. Lance on the other hand was a whole different story. When you grow up with tons of siblings, especially older ones, things get around a lot quicker than if you were an older child. His older brother loved torturing him with this kind of thing, telling him all about sex and mastubation like it was a completely normal thing to just talk about. Of course he was intrigued when he was thirteen, having even know before that, to try out the things he learned from his siblings and every free moment he had, he’d use. Privacy he soon found was a very hard thing to come by in a house with so many kids, and it was even harder to come by when you were one of the older ones in the house who was expected to watching the younger ones and do more work around the house. To say simply, while Keith didn’t know what to do, Lance certainly did.

 

Lance looked down at the boy in his laps, who was obviously struggling to try to still his hips that would rut against Lance’s exposed stomach every now and then. For once he didn’t look like a scary warrior but like a teenager who really needed some support in his life. It made Lance’s heart melt and he wanted to be there for him whenever he needed it. Lance brought up his right hand, his left holding the boy’s back, and tucked a finger under his chin to force his face up. Keith looked up hesitantly, his face red and wet which is when Lance realized he’d been crying. It was tear streaked and his cheeks were soaked, he bright purple eyes wide with anticipation. He brought his lips in between his teeth, chewing on them slightly while he coniutned his struggle with his hips, tears still flowing from his eyes. 

 

Lance brought his lips down slowly, silently asking Keith if it was okay, who pushed forward.  _ Hard.  _ Their lips smacked together, almost painfully, but neither was paying attention to that, they were too focused on what was actually happening. Lance’s lips smiled against Keith’s while they pushed against each other, teeth clashing while they tried to keep them closed. Keith was definitely more submissive than Lance would have thought, but then again it might have just been what was happening before with his… intangible sex drive? The kiss was searing, all the colors of the rainbow exploding behind his closed eyelids like fireworks exploding on the Fourth of July. It was everything he dreamed it would be, and he’d been dreaming for a while. The kiss continued to go on until the broke apart for air, Keith letting out a breathy whine with a shove of his hips.

 

That’s when Lance realized Keith still had his boxers on. They looked almost black to him, but he could seen the straining erection that was inside, and even as soft and flexible as they are, it must have hurt. Keith was acting so needy, and desperate, it must hurt to have it in anything right now. Lance pulled him closer, turning him around so his back could rest on Lance.

 

“So you’ve never…?” 

 

Lance wasn’t really sure how to approach the question, but it needed to be addressed. Did Keith masturbate? Or did he just do this grinding thing until he felt like he could be presentable again, not actually getting any satisfaction. He waited for an answer, hand resting over Keith’s covered cock so the boy could grind into it if he needed to. The questions kept coming though, like, did Keith even know how to? Does he even understand that it feels better? His thoughts were silenced by Keith, thrusting his hips into his hand, his voice breathless.

 

“I-I ne- need  _ more _ , but I-I don’t know  _ what _ !” He stopped his thrusts for a minute. “I-ah- mean this feels good, but I just don’t know how to make it  _ better. _ ” He spoke quietly, blushing at his own words.

 

“Do you trust me?” Lance forced his body to the side, making him look at him. Keith looked down, mumbling something into his hands that were covering his face. “What was that?” Keith could practically hear the smirk in Lance’s voice, but it didn’t seem cocky, just like a little joke. It made him feel good.

 

“Of course…” Keith looked up, large wet, purple eyes meeting blue, “I’ve liked you for a while.” Then his face was buried in Lance’s shoulder again, his body turning around again and Lance’s mind exploded.

 

Keith liked him.  _ Keith  _ liked  _ him.  _ He didn’t think he’d be able to contain his joy, grabbing the boy in his arms and squeezing him tightly, the smaller boy squawking in his arms. Lance forced Keith’s face up again, their eyes barely meeting again before Lance pushed their lips together again. The groaned into it, Keith pulling himself closer and grinding into his stomach once again. The kiss was short lived though, they broke apart and looked at each other, sweat and tears still lingering on their lips. Keith looked excited, but focused, probably on the gyrations of his hips. He peeked up at Lance though,

 

“Does this mean the feeling’s mutual?” He asked, his hopes betraying him while they floated to his peak. His heart nearly exploded when Lance nodded, the blush reddening on his face. 

 

“Here, so you’ve… never… masturbated before?” His voice squeaked in the middle of the sentence, making Keith giggle slightly, until the overpowering need was brought back. Keith shook his head and shrugged his shoulders, which was useless since he was moving so much, Lance couldn’t even see what he did.

 

“I haven’t… what?” He asked, an eyebrow raising in curiosity. Lance shook his head, telling Keith to forget what he asked. 

 

“I’ll help you okay, I just don’t want you to regret anything.” Keith nodded. He may not have had a teacher, but he knew what sex was. At least the basics of it, the problem  _ he had _ was that no one was there to tell him it _ felt good _ , not that it didn’t exist. He knew that it was a special thing, he knew it made children, so he knew it was something for couples who trusted each other. Couples who wouldn’t shame each other, or force each other, or basically rape them. Keith nodded, letting him know he understood.

 

“I won’t regret anything. As long as it’s you.” Smiling up at him, then frowning.

 

His body spasmed violently, causing him to double over and smack Lance in the head with his own, but Keith was too busy to notice. Lance wasn’t though, and he yelled while cupping the side of his forehead in his hand, his face scrunched up and groaning slightly in pain. Keith on the other hand was  _ screeching _ , mouth over his hand to try to muffle some of the sound, and Lance immediately knew why. Keith’s face started to turn slightly purple, actually purple, starting at his head and in random blotches on his arms and legs. The color started to spread from the centers of the circles until they connected with each other, leaving the shaking boy a deep purple. His skin started to mold slightly too, taking on a furry texture, but only ever so slightly. The hair seemed to be growing out of his skin, but it wasn’t long, it was so short that if you weren’t looking close enough it would look like normal skin. Except for the fact that it was purple. The next thing that changed was his ears, except Lance didn’t see the first part. He wasn’t sure what happened to his really ears, that were hiding behind the dark black threads that hung from Keith’s head, having disappeared or fucking  _ retracted into his head _ . The thought of how it must feel to Keith made Lance shiver, pulling the boy on top of him while he continued to shake, tears pouring from his eyes like small waterfalls. He stopped yelled, but was still making small whimpers every now and then. The last thing he saw was his tail, though his didn’t see how it ‘came into being’ he knew it was there once it wrapped around the arm that was holding Keith’s back, who had given up on holding himself. He looked back up to his head, noticing the new cat-like ears that grew popped out from the top of his head, and unchanged hair, both purple to match the also cat-like tail Keith now had.

 

Keith had stopped shaking after the tail came out, and had gone completely silent. Lance looked down from his ears, to his tail, to his face. Though his body looked completely Galra, his eyes were unchanged, pupils still blown and irises purple, wet with the tears he was trying to keep in, squinting slightly from the pain. He heard him exhale, like a huge weight had been taken off his shoulders when the transformation was finally over. Keith’s head was buried in Lance’s neck, breathing heavily, mumbling barely loud enough for Lance to hear.

 

“This has only happened once before. Please don’t leave me. I don’t know what to do.” He was almost crying again, voice shaking and skin burning. Lance only squeezed the boy a little harder, showing him he was here. If this had only happened once before, it was obviously not normal and he was trusting Lance with this form which made his heart melt.

 

“I’m not going to leave.” It sounded stern but soft, making Keith gasp at the firmness of the promise. He smiled into his shoulder, groaning again when he could feel the pain subsiding back into pure arousal. Lance looked down at the shaking boy, eyebrows raised, “Keith, are you okay?” He shook his head in response, arousal flooding his senses.

 

“Help me…?” He looked up again, a dark redish purple blush covering his cheeks. Lance nodded, finally reaching his hand down to the boy’s underwear. 

 

“You’re sure.” A nod. “And you won’t regret this?” Another nod. “Okay…”

 

Lance reached down hesitantly, pushing on the bulge slightly. Keith moaned,  _ loud _ , so much that it almost made Lance jump, but he kept still, only moving his arm to keep the pressure on the Keith’s crotch. Once he gained a steady speed, at least one that’ll keep Keith occupied, he started to go over scenarios in his head. Obviously this was something happening with his Galra side, but he didn’t know too much about that. He could talk to Allura and Coran, maybe even Shiro from his time spent on the Galra ships, but they have to know at least the basics of Galra genetics. Or maybe Alteans go through the same things, and they just know what to do to help them.

 

“ _ Lance! _ ” He was shaken from his thoughts quite literally when Keith hissed from between his teeth, gripping at Lance while he shuddered quite visibly.  _ That was pretty quick… _ Lance held the boy and rubbed him through his orgasm, having been to caught up in his thoughts to realize what was happening. Somehow he knew it wasn’t going to be over that quickly though, which only freaked him out even more. They were both new to this, they were both virgins, and Keith was relying on Lance to know what to do, but he didn’t. Lance wasn’t even sure if he wanted this, I mean, of course he wanted it, but were they really,  _ actually _ , ready for this? Maybe they could somehow find a way to not go all the way. Even if he really wanted to, Keith was in some fucked up heated daze…

 

Heated.

 

Holy shit,  _ holy shit _ . Everything click all at once. They talked about this at the garrison, it was literally the first lesson, the class on knowing about aliens, and their biology. Some of the chapters were really quite uninteresting, but one had particularly caught everyone’s attention, then one about  _ things _ that resembled cats and dogs, a purple that was the color of the violets right out the window. About how they went through a similar… reproductive process as the animals they looked so much alike. Keith was going through a fucking heat. Somehow that only made Lance want him more, and he wasn’t exactly sure how to deal with that. That was until he heard the soft snores emitting from his arms, that almost sounded like purrs, but he was going to believe it was his mind imagining those.

 

Keith had fallen asleep after his first orgasm, which only made sense, seeing as how he didn’t  _ do it _ on his own. There was no way he had built up a stamina for it, or gone through the pleasure of multiple orgasms at a time. Also the last time this happened to him, he sufficed with grinding into the closest objects, versus someone actually touching him which must have been a lot worse for him. No wonder having Lance here tired him out so quickly, it must have been so much better and so much easier on him, but so much more intense at the same time.

 

Lance let out a breath, like that was a struggle and not the best thing that’s happened to him in the past months- year?- he’s been in space. He looked down at the boy sleeping in his arms, lips parted and eyes closed. He looked so peaceful it almost made him look like a completely different person, not the boy who lost his parents and wouldn’t risk it with anyone else. Lance smiled, this was different, he wasn’t going to let go of Keith, ever again. He was his now and they were both going to have to live with that.

 

~~~

 

_ Grace looked out the window of the bedroom, twisting her curly brown hair around her fingers. She looked down at the black convertible sitting in the driveway of the orphanage, the black convertible that was here to take her best friend away from her. She turned around, hearing the sound of footsteps coming up the stairs to the only room up here. She scoped around the room, looking at the five neatly made beds, all with a white comforter and pillow with a brown wooden headboard poking out from behind them. In between each bed there was a window, each with a windowsill wide enough to be a seat, even though they were told multiple times they weren’t. She was sitting on the one in the middle, two other windows on either side of her, and the door directly infront of her. She felt tears prick around her eyes as the mess of blonde hair walked into the room, a way too skinny frame following it.  _

 

_  Asher walked into the room, alone, meeting Grace’s blue eyes with his bright green ones. He moved in a little more, almost like he hadn’t spent so many years in this place with her. She jumped down from the too high windowsill, landing on her feet like a cat. Her feet moved without her consent, running to the boy who stood in the doorway with open arms. She scrambled to him, feeling his arms lock around her waist like they had so many times before, for every sleepless night, and every sickness, and every fight, and for the last time. She choked as she wrapped her own arms around him, pulling him closer to the ground so she wouldn’t have to get on her toes. She knew he could feel her tears on his shoulder, but she didn’t care, she didn’t even care when she felt the same wetness spread across her own shoulder, only hugging tighter. _

 

_  They picked their heads up, one wet face meeting the other, both gazes equally heartbroken. “H-Hey, don’t cry.” Asher wiped the tears that fell from her blue orbs, just like so many times before, which only reminded her again that it was the last time. “We’ll see each other again. I promise.” She shook her head, trying to bring her body impossibly closer. She couldn’t get her hopes up again, the last time she did it left her in this hell. _

 

_  “W-what i-if we d-don’t? Then wh-what?” Her voice too shaky to try and steady. He brushed his hand against the back of her head, “We will.” She meet his gaze again, going over his skinny features. His gaze was hard, but not scary, it was the look he got when he was determined. That look was the only thing that kept her alive in this house. He grabbed her hand, letting go of her waist as he intertwined their fingers, pulling her out of the room, and down the stairs. _

 

_  The downstairs was small, the stairs holding a half bathroom under them, with pictures lining the walls. Once you reach the bottom of the stairs the door was directly in front of them, a dining room to the left, with the kitchen, and a living to the right. He continued to pull her as he swerved to the right, leading them into the sitting area with two floral couches, and chairs to match. Two more windows sat at the head of the room, pictures in between them of previous kids and their fake smiles blaring from them. On one of the couches sat a young couple, and a baby, all with blonde hair to match Ashers. The baby was asleep and couldn't be any older than three months, being held by the mother whose smile was so bright, next to the father whose smile was smaller, but still noticeable. The lady wore too much makeup, covering most of her natural wrinkles and cheekbones, her makeup-enhanced ones shining. The men's faces was long and skinny, his wrinkles showing on full display, all of them probably due to the new baby. _

 

_  “Why hello, you must be the girl Asher wanted to say goodbye to.” She smiled brighter, not showing any indication of the tears that still lined Grace’s face, her brown eyes shining with delight. Grace stepped forward anyway, shaking the outstretched hand, flinching as she gripped tighter, pulling the surprised girl up to her face, whispering in her ear, “You need to get out of here as fast as possible. It’s not safe for you here.” Grace pulled back quickly, eyes wide with surprise, hand still tightly held by the older woman. She looked up, meeting the cold worried stare of the mother, her baby still safe in her arms. Her mouth compacted into a tight line, lines of worry appearing through her makeup, making her look so much older. Grace turned her head, Asher’s face mimicking her own confusion, stumbling back as the lady let go of her hand and her too large smile returning.  _

 

_  Grace tried to close her mouth as the head of the orphanage walked in, her hair pulled into a tight bun as always. Her pointed chin looked down at the two children in front of her, who bowed their heads out of habit, “Ms. Absinthe.” They talked simultaneously each one stepping out of her path. Her always black dress sweeping down to her ankles staying still as she walked. She ran the orphanage alone, which seems harder than it is. Only five- now four- kids lived there, and it wasn’t hard to control them when force was used. Ms. Absinthe walked to the couple, trying to form a smile on her always frowning face. She sat down next to the mother and sleeping baby, the pick blanket shouting next to the blackness of her dress. “I see you have met one of the other children here.” Her voice was thick with mock sweetness, the mother giving Grace another warning look that sent shivers down her spine. “These children mean so much to me, and it is my greatest pleasure to give one of them to you.” Grace shivered, they meant nothing to Ms. Absinthe. _

 

_  She looked at them, standing near the door and swishing her hand, telling them to leave. They bowed their heads again, scrambling to meet the stairs again, leaving the couple alone with her. They sat down on the staircase, which were barely wide enough to fit both of them. “Did you say bye to Gabe?” Grace was looking at the picture next to the door, hanging from a thin piece of string and a nail. In the picture there was a smiling boy, with tan skin and curly hair to match his skin. His face was smooth and worriless, it was the first day Grace and her brother came to the orphanage. They had been so excited, looking at the first home they would have after two years of living on the streets. They were so young when their perfect life fell apart, their beautiful Cuban mother bursting into flames, and never knowing their father. “Yes, he’s taking care of Steven right now, trying… trying to get him to eat.” His voice sunk, filling with sadness.  _

 

_  Ms. Absinthe was very strict about eating. She wanted all of them to be so skinny you could see their bones, so that they’d never be able to fight back when she took out the belt. Steven was the first one who was affected by this, followed by a similarly small girl named Lacy, then Grace. The three children had the similar effects of a PTSD, not being able to feed themselves by their own hands, due to the constant beatings from the headmistress. They were constantly told they weren’t skinny enough, or too fat and other obscenities, wiping their hands when they ate too much, shoving her fingers down their throats at night, forcing the food back up. The fear she placed in each of them being too much for each child to handle, having nightmares every night, along with the thoughts of never leaving. Grace was only twelve, Steven and Lacy a pair of twins at seven. Asher and Gabe were the lifeforce of this place, keeping the children alive when Ms. Absinthe was gone. Gabe would feed the twins, sneaking into the kitchen to find something suitable to eat, risking his own meals if he got caught, Asher doing the same for Grace. _

 

_  They were a giant family, always looking out for each other, most of the weight falling on the older brothers. The twins didn’t know any better, accepting the pain the two of them went through for them, but Grace couldn’t help but let the guilt seep into her skull, more nightmares plaguing her dreams. They did too much for her, and in return she couldn’t even feed herself. She tried, every night when they went to sleep, sneaking outside to the apple tree that grew in the neighbor's yard. She would walk up to the white fence that separated the brick buildings from each other, picking up a fallen apple from the ground and bringing it up to her mouth. _

 

_  She would struggle as she put it up to her mouth, her arms trying to force it back to the ground. She would put it in her mouth, forcing her mouth to clamp down on it, only for it to be spit back up with the bile that rose behind it. She would keep trying though, keep trying until she didn’t have anything left in her stomach, dry-heaving until she couldn’t take it anymore, and stopped. She would sit outside, tears mixing with the mess on her face as she let the cold air cool her down, sitting under the overhanging branches until it got too cold and she snuck back into the red house, up the stairs, and into the room, falling back onto her bed for sleep to succumb her. _

 

_  “Are you going to be okay, when I’m gone.” He faced her, Grace turning her head too. She felt tears brim around her eyes again, “I don’t know.” She didn’t speak above a whisper, realizing what he meant. Asher was always the one who took care of her, despite Gabriel being her brother. Gabriel was better with the smaller children, so he helped them, leaving Asher to Grace, making her even more guilty. How was she going to be okay, when the one person who knew her, front and back, inside and out, was leaving. She shoved her head into his arm, pushing him against the wall as she climb on top of his lap, tears spilling into her frowning lips. Asher wrapped his arms around her again, burying his head in her brown hair, smelling of apples, which was always pleasant in their dim lives. She was straddling him, one leg bending on the step above them, the other hanging onto the floor. “What am I going to do without you?” It came out muffled, her face so deep in his chest it was hard to breathe. He smiled down at her skinny figure, knowing fully well it was going to be hard for her but, “You’re a fighter. It’s in your blood.” She groaned at the use of that again. She didn’t know what it meant, she didn’t know why he insisted on using it, but somehow it kept her going. _

 

_  She looked up when she felt tears hitting her hair, meeting his bright green eyes once again, “You know I would take you if I could, but Gabe needs you.” She lowered her gaze, eyes heavy with pain. Nobody needed her, she needed them.  _

 

_  The moment of silence was broken when they heard the headmistresses small heals clicking towards them. They scrambled apart, jumping on their feet and wiping away tears, meeting her in the doorway of the living room. She didn’t acknowledge their presence, only continuing to talk to the young couple. “It was oh so nice having you here, but you must be busy so I won’t keep you any longer.” She smiled another forced grin, that didn’t look anything remotely sweet. Reaching her hand out she grabbed Grace’s hand, pulling her out of the way painfully. Grace rubbed her wrist when she let go and watched as Ms. Absinthe pushed Asher’s back, leading him to the family. She hugged him, but it looked so foreign to her, like she was unsure of how to hug. Grace watched in silence, holding her wrist behind her as she nursed the bruise, the family taking Asher and leading him to the door. He turned around, and for the last time it seemed, blue eyes met green, shared sympathy passing between them as the door closed, breaking their gaze with a loud bang. _

_  Grace looked up at Ms. Absinthe, who was locking the door, “Why don’t you go find the others, I’m making dinner.” She gave Grace a grin, one that sent shivers down her spine and was absolutely not foreign to her. She nodded scrambling to the basement which was another set of stairs under the first set. She opened the door and slammed it shut, toppling down the creaky green painted stairs that led to the bare cement floor of the basement. She was going so fast she almost ran into the giant furnace that connected to the upper floors, it’s large body glowing with the yellow fire that burned inside of it, much like the despair that burned through Grace’s. She turned to the right, going to the left would only lead her to a blank wall, meeting three bodies huddled together in the corner. Gabriel and the twins sat across from each other, Gabriel had a spoon in his hand, and a bowl full of some greenish soup in between them.  She watched as he brought the spoon to Clare’s mouth, slipping it between her lips. She watched as she laughed when she was able to swallow, with puking it back up, which only led Grace to feel so bad for them, they didn’t deserve this.  _

 

_  “Ms. Absinthe is making dinner.” Two of the three heads shot up in obvious surprise, their bodies only relaxing when they realized it wasn’t the headmistress. She watched Phillip, following their gaze up the stairs, her heart sinking even further. He had been deaf since he was born all of them teaching themselves sign language from the books on the shelves in the living room. He had learned to read their lips but she wasn’t even sure if Ms. Absinthe knew he was deaf. She walked over sitting down next to Calare, pulling her onto her lap, little giggles flying from her mouth. “Do you have another spoon?” Gabriel nodded, handing her another white plastic spork he found in the kitchen. She took it, loading it with food and turning Clare around and pushing it in gently, watching her features calm down. Clare had dirty blonde hair, that reached down her all-to-skinny waist, Steven’s being the same color but in a short mess around his head, both of them ten years of age. The twins looked around, and Grace knew what- or who- they were looking for, her heartbreaking when their expressions changed to one of confusion. “He went to a nice family, remember?” Gabriel’s voice rang through the silence, Clare turning to face him, and Phillip following her while they continued to get fed. Clare pushed the spoon away, “What’s it like?” Her eyes lit up, like they usually did when they were told stories. Gabriel looked at his sister, a silent conversation passing between them.  _

 

_  The twins had never had a family, having been here since birth, so they always wanted to know what it was like to have something like that. Grace’s mother died when she was 10, Gabriel 12 and it was always too hard to talk about. At least for Grace. Gabe would tell stories about their mother, how she looked, what she was like, what it was like to have someone there no matter what. One time, he told them about their old home in Cuba, and Grace snapped. She yelled and screamed things like how they didn’t have a home, and nobody here would. Asher had calmed her down and she realized she had made the twins cry the guilt of everything just toppling down on her. After that night, Gabe always made sure it was okay for her to be here before he’d talk about their shared past. _

 

_  They looked away from each other, Grace’s grip on Clare’s spoon tightening. “It’s like this.” Grace was the one to speak, “It’s like Gabe, and me and… Asher.” She nodded, motioning to the soup on the floor, “It’s knowing that Absinthe will hurt us, but also knowing that we can come down here… to this.” Phillip’s eyes sparkled too, matching Clare’s chocolate brown ones. “To our little family.” She put the spoon down, in the bowl, and pulled Clare up to her, hugging her waist as their ribs met in the middle, Gabriel mimicking her stance with Clare. Lacy pulled away first, her bubbly personality always making her a bit fidgety. “Are you going to leave us like Asher?” Grace flinched. The question wasn’t meant to be mean, but it made it sound like Asher wanted to leave them. Like he left them of his own choice. He didn’t though… did he? She shook her head, giving her an answer and shaking away the crude images in her mind. Her mouth opened to respond, but nothing came out. She wasn’t one to make promises she wasn’t sure if she could keep. Much unlike the one who promised they’d find each other again. She hated false hope, almost as much as she hated giving false hope.  _

 

_  She heard Ms. Absinthe shouting from upstairs and she stood up, picking up Lacy with her knowing that if she came looking for them and found them like this they would definitely get punished. They walked up the stairs in a frozen huddle, all not ready to face the lady but knowing they couldn’t stay any longer. The stairs creaked under the weight of all of them until they finally made it to the door opening it soundlessly despite the age of it. They slowly crept into the dining room, dread filling them as they saw the set table and the same green soup as always. _

 

_  They sat around the table, Ms. Absinthe watching them enter as she continued to pour soup into the four bowls, two on each side of the table. Thankfully for them Ms. Absinthe didn’t eat with them and would only checkon them every so often. They sat down, eyeing the food set in front of them like it was a poison being forced down their throats. She nodded, “I’ll see who's going to be punished after.” Grace looked at her brother, both mouths flipping into frowns as she walked out of the room. Grace narrowed her eyes, “I’m doing it today.” Gabriel’s mouth twisted up making him look like she told him a joke, “No, not today, not ever. Just because-” He looked at the twins, lowering his voice to a whisper, “Just because Asher’s gone, doesn’t mean you need to grow up before you’re ready.” He took his bowl, and drank down his soup, leaving only a little bit at the bottom. Too much gone for Ms. Absinthe.  _

 

_  He crossed over the table, taking Clare’s bowl who was next to Grace and across from Phillip. He, again, gulped the bowl, leaving a lot more than his. She knew what he was doing, at it wasn’t fair. _

 

_  Every night after dinner, Ms. Absinthe would punish the one who ate the most, but if you didn’t eat any, you too would be punished. Gabriel and Asher took turns, leaving less and less in their bowls so they’d be the ones who’d get hurt, not the younger ones. But Asher was gone, and Gabe couldn’t take the beatings alone. She watched him do the same thing to Phillip’s bowl, using their weaknesses to his advantage,-er their advantage- it was too hard to tell. If they couldn’t eat, then he’d leave the most in their bowls. Simple. She watched as he eyed her, taking her bowl and drinking about half, more than the twins but still less than his own bowl to accommodate their sizes. _

 

_  She could hear the familiar clink of Ms. Absinthe’s shoes as she got nearer, Grace reaching over the table for her bowl. Gabriel held it over to her and she took it pulling back slowly but, much to Gabriel’s surprise, she pushed forward again, empting almost half of what was left in her bowl, into Gabe’s, leaving her with less. The burst was over when she sat down, poker face in place, when Ms. Absinthe walked into the room scoping over them slowly. She towered over them, her pointed chin and nose making her seem more like a creature than a human. Grace looked away from the face that resembled a witch from her old story books, looking at the tanned, bruised, face of her brother who was glaring back at her. The glare soon switched to one of worry when Ms. Absinthe stopped at her place setting, looking down into her bowl, then back to her face. She shook her head, clicking her tongue as she moved on. _

 

_  Grace’s stomach suddenly dropped, the feeling of worry settling. Her eyes swept nervously over the others in the room, the only comfort she got was knowing the twins weren’t going to get touched. Her stomach flopped around in her chest, next to her rapidly beating heart, when Ms. Absinthe walked to the head of the table lowing her gaze to the children, “It seems that Ms. di Angelo is the one tonight, the rest of you head upstairs and get ready to sleep.” The twins walked out cheerfully, not fully understanding what was happening, Gabriel giving her one last glance of sympathy before turning the corner and going up the stairs. Grace focused on the name she used, di Angelo, confusion clouding her expression. She had never heard her last name before, let alone that one. It wasn’t a typical Cuban last name which only caused her more questions to filter through her mind. It sounded more European, maybe her father was? She wasn’t sure, but made a mental note to ask Gabriel later. _

 

_  She pushed the thoughts away when two hands slammed on the table, rattling the dishes that were still there. “I’m going to try something different with you.” She looked down at her hands, which seemed older than before, more worn out, more wrinkled. Grace shivered. Ms. Absinthe looked up, her eyes glowing with an evil that caused Grace to flinch back slightly. “Take off your shirt.” Grace’s head snapped down to her tank top. She wasn’t given any bras so she would be completely bare in front of the older women. The thought made her nerves tingle a little more, warnings flaring through her but she did what she was told, throwing the tank top on the floor. She crossed her arms over her chest, goosebumps appearing over her sensitive skin. _

 

_  Ms. Absinthe pushed her hands down, reaching behind her and pulling out a rope. Grace gasped as she looked a little closer, it was a lot rougher than the belt and the end had a hook, meant to tear through the skin. Grace felt tears begin to form at the edges of her eyes. “W-why?” She looked down at the trembling girl, whose arms found their way across her breasts again.  She pushed her arms down again, and Grace closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. She opened them again her breath drawing in, in a fast gasp again when she saw the hooked rope outstretched in front of the old lady. She had the unhooked end in her hand, wrapping it around her hand a couple times. She used her free hand, pulling on the shirtless girl’s arm and pushing her to the floor, Grace’s head hitting the floor as she was flipped onto her back.  _

 

_  Grace looked up, the lady towering over her, her mouth was compressed into a tight smile and it was easy to tell she got pleasure out of this. She got pleasure from illegally treating children like items, beating them when they did so much as eat too much. Grace’s eyebrows scrunched together, thoughts jumping around her head as she came to one conclusion. She didn’t know how much this was going to hurt, but she wasn’t going to let it. If she screamed, Ms. Absinthe would laugh, she’d feel all powerful, and Grace wasn’t going to let that happen. She was going to keep her mouth shut, even if it meant sewing her lips together with a needle and thread. _

 

_  She sucked in a breath as the whip was raised, looking down at her in all it’s menacing glory. Grace tried not to let the tears fall, but they clouded her vision, making it hard not to let them. She bit her lip, ready, ready… Then it fell. The roped cracked against her skin and she let out a small shout, already breaking her promise, the hooks digging into her skin. Blood started to bead where the hook was implanted in her skin, Grace regaining her breath, only for it to be ripped from her when the whip was raised. Her body felt like it was on fire, the pain burning across her skin form her stomach to her fingers, then down to her toes. All the pain was too much for her brain to handle. The hook dragged across her skin, the cold metal warming up with her blood, a long thick line of blood appearing as it dragged over her, going deeper. She let out another blood curdling scream, the blood pouring down her stomach and pooling on either side of her. _

 

_  The hook tore out of her with a the gory sound of ripping through skin. It came out, blood lining the curves of it as it was raised above Ms. Absinthe’s smiling face once again. The rope cracked again, mimicking the same motions as before, Grace screaming. The hook lodged it her stomach once again, right under her breasts and right above the previous one, that was still bleeding profusely.  _

 

_ It happened one last time to make a total of three, under the first on, leaving marks across her skin, the blood pooling under her body that laid motionless on the floor. Her face had turned to the side, any slight movement of her body causing too much pain. She cried out again as her lungs took an involuntary deep breath, more blood trickling out of her wounds.  _

 

_  Ms. Absinthe looked down at her, “You are weak, and you will stay that way.” She curled the bleeding weapon around her hand, sticking it in a rather large pocket in her dress, not even bothered by the fact that blood was still laced with the metal. More tears fell from Grace’s eyes, her lips quivering, not able to make a sound. She was in too much pain. She let out little whimpers, not knowing what to do, but knowing if she stayed here she’d bleed out. She moved her head, looking to the other side, where her tanktop laid, bundled in a heap next to her head.  _

 

_  She reached out, flinched as the pain spread rapidly throughout her body, another whimper was released. She kept reaching though, sighing in a short-lived relief when her fingers curled around the black material. She turned to the left again, her body having curled into a ball, pushing the shirt to her wounds. She let out another yell, the pressure only causing more pain. She kept it there though, watching it get impossibly darker with her own blood.  _

 

_  She moved her legs, painfully pushing herself to the wall so she could lean against it. Her vision wavered in and out as she used the wall for support. She got on her knees, still firmly pressing the cloth to her cuts, using her free hand to get in a crawling position. She gasped, pain searing through her body as she bent over, she moved the slightest bit, feeling more blood fall out of stomach. It laced with her fingers, dripping through the cloth with each painful inch forward. She watched as the blood dripped onto the floor creating another puddle, but closer to the door than the other one. She shivered, her vision falling out, then back in again. Grace took a shaky breath, as deep as she could, taking a particularly big step, stifling the gasp of pain that shot through her like lightning. “I’m a fighter.” She whispered, thinking of Asher’s green eyes, and his promise. He was going to find her again, if only she lived to meet that day. “It’s in my blood.” Her burst of hope fading when she really put what she said in perspective. Her will to survive, the way she’s been surviving is in her blood, the blood that’s covering the floor under her, not running through her veins like it should.  _

 

_  She felt cold fear pulse through her, was this really how she was going to die? In a dark dimly lit room, the candle in the corner barely giving her enough light to find the door. She reached out, sighing when she felt the coolness of the wall, reaching up a little further, despite the pain. Her hand wrapped around the handle, the cold metal feeling nice against her overheated skin. She pushed her body against it, groaning, her small frame supported by the door. She took a deep breath, pulling the handle towards her, her weight on the door pushing it open. She toppled out, trying to keep her cries silent, she didn’t know what would happen if Ms. Absinthe found her out here like this. She didn’t want to know.  _

 

_  Her body painfully inched forward once again, resuming the position on hands and knees. She was trying to head to the bathroom under the stairs, because Ms. Absinthe never goes in there they have a secret stash of first aid supplies, knowing she wouldn’t help if they got hurt. Mostly because she’s the one who hurts. Grace took more steps, the blood leaving a trial she knew she’d have to clean up. She remembered the first time the headmistress hit one of them. Asher had scraped his knee, and was crying seeing as how he was only four or so. She took out the belt, and aimed for him, but Gabe jumped in instead. He had let the belt wrap around his wrist, the mark staying there for weeks. That’s when Asher decided you couldn’t be young in this house, and he learned how to take care of himself, and the crying two year old girl. They’d been so young when horror overtook their lives, when the twins arrived they made a promise to keep their childhood as long as they possibly could.  _

_  She whined, toppling forward as she tripped over her own hand, hitting her head into the door of the bathroom. She bit her lip, feeling more vomit make it’s way up her throat from the pain. She stomach cramped up, only adding to the small girl’s pain. She breathed in again, grabbing the doorknob with her clean hand, twisting the knob and pushing the door open. She stumbled in, not hesitating to grab the supplies in the cabinet under the sink. She closed the door, using the sink to stand herself up, ignoring the pain that flushed her whole body. _

 

_  She grabbed the bandages they hid under the sink, knowing Ms. Absinthe never came in there. She removed her shirt, choking back the whine that tried to come back at the sight of it. The three gashes ran from one side to the other, completely red and oozing blood. The blood had tinted the skin around the gashes red, making it hard to distinguish what was her skin and what was a cut. She took her shirt, and ran it under the water, red water rinsing down the drain, tears falling in to join them it. Once she got most of the blood out she place it back on her wound, flinched at the touch and temperature of the cloth. She cleaned the skin around the wound, taking the red tint off her skin. _

 

_  She put her shirt back in the sink, letting it soak up the running water. She took the bandages, wrapping the roll around her waist so many times it was almost as thick as another shirt. It stopped right under her breasts, a red stain appearing on it almost immediately. She groaned, knowing these wounds would leave scars, afraid of what they’d look like in the morning. She took a step noticing the bandages helped with the pain, the tiniest bit, but still helping. She didn’t bother putting on her wet shirt, walking out with it in her hands, slowly making her way up the stairs, her badly bandaged torso still very sore. She walked up the last step, both feet touching the upper layer, walking the straight path to the shared bedroom. Lacy and Steven were on her left, both soundly sleeping, while Gabriel was on the one directly to her right, the bed on the far right empty. _

 

_  They were lucky they even had beds, the only reason they had them was because the living arrangements were checked every year, so there was no use getting rid of them, just to bring them out once a year. She laid down in her bed, careful not to stretch her body, the pain finally subsiding. Her hand automatically went to the necklace on her neck. She had forgotten she had it on, the only thing she had left from her father. She didn’t know anything about her father, other than he couldn’t stay and raise the children, but their mother always insisted he was a good person, willing to do anything for those he loved. The necklace was a locket, a picture of her mother and brother firmly placed on each side.  _

 

_  She twisted the string around her finger, the only thing that was able to make her fall asleep. When her mother gave it to her, she was told to never take it off, but Grace always wondered about the way she said it. Her mother’s eyes had been burning, the way they did when you knew she was serious, her voice like a warning, but she didn’t understand why. She also wondered why the locket didn’t got to Gabe. She looked down at it, grimacing at the pain the slight movement of her body caused the scratches. It had a symbol on it she didn’t understand, not sure if it was a different language, or just that, a symbol. _

_  She let it fall back down, resting right in between her breasts like it always did. She turned to the other side, carefully, keeping a steady breathing pace as she did so, looking at the twins now. It was the rise of their matching chests and even breaths that finally lured her to sleep, her dreams being as black as Ms. Absinthe’s dress, which only caused more fear to fly through her dreaming state. _

 

_  Gabe looked over at her, the blankets covering her sleeping body. He wiped the wetness off his face, having heard the screaming that took place downstairs. He sat up looking over her at the twins, he had to tell them it was the next door neighbors playing a game, it hurt him to lie about his sister’s pain, but it was their job to keep them kids for as long as they could. His eyes darted to the floor, their soft brown turning darker as he saw her shirt on the floor. Even in the dim moonlight he could see the dark puddle that was forming under it. _

 

_  He tossed the blankets off him, putting his feet on the ground and making his way over to the wet material wadded up on the floor. He bent down, touching it with the tips of his fingers, turning them a light shade of seethrough red. He pushed down the anger building at the base of his throat, she’d never done anything bad enough to leave too much of a mark to him, but here he was looking at the blood soaked shirt that was holding too much. He put his hand down, not realizing he was hovering it over his mouth. He returned to his bed, leaving the shirt there so Grace wouldn’t know he saw it. If she didn’t want to talk about it, he wasn’t going to make her feel obliged to. He walked to the window next to Grace and Lacy’s beds, looking at the moon shining through the window. He shuddered, he was the only one who knew about their heritage, and he hated the fact that he was hiding it from his baby sister, but it was to protect her. His  _

_ gaze hardened, the moon glaring back at it in all it’s glory. _

 

_ “I know you chose her… but why?” _

 

_  No matter what, he was going to get her out of here. She had a destiny, he didn’t. The twins had a long life to live. He didn’t. The Night chose Grace as her guardian, not him. _

 

Grace sprung awake, tears staining her face. Everything had changed since then, too much for her and it made her  _ yearn _ . She  _ needed _ someone to hold onto, someone who would remain the same throughout the war she was fighting. And for the first time in four years, she longed for the lanky arms of her best friend to wrap around her torso and tell her everything would be okay. But she was gone, he was gone, they were separated, but she needed him so much. She felt more tears fall down her cheeks, not even bothering to wipe them up.

 

_ Lance, why’d I ever leave you? _

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soooooooo sorrrrrryyyyy, but I'm shit and I had to write shit, but here ya go. Love ya'll (:
> 
> If you have any questions feel free to ask! I know my writing can get confusing sometimes, so I apologize in advance.


	4. Chapter 4

Sweat rolled off her back as she brought her knees to her chest, taking in deep breaths that came out deep and loud. Grace stuffed her head in her knees, letting her forehead rest on them while tears surged from her eyes. Her body hurt everywhere, skin pale and shining with sweat while her bright blue eyes were clouded over making them look older and scared. She was scared. Everything was happening too fast, but not fast enough, everything was swirling around her in a daze of smoke that she couldn’t seem to grasp, but the smoke stayed and taunted her from afar.

It had been months since the last nightmare she had, _months_ , of blissful sleep that never once made her wake up a sickly green and rushing to the bathroom before hacking up on the floor. It had been months since she left that dreaded orphanage and found her home here in the Hades Cabin with her half brother, Nico. It had been months since she watched the blood drain from her brother's neck, leaving him a helpless heap on the red-painted grass that seemed to haunt her, and it had been _years_ since she’d seen Lance. Four years on this very day, she cowered in the corner of his bedroom, letting him scream at her for being what she was, for being something she didn’t even understand yet. Four years on this very day that she and Gabe left Cuba, almost starving on a trading ship, to end up in America. Four years since she wanted Lance to hold her again and tell her everything was going to be okay.

She took deep shaking breath, feeling the hysteria rise in her chest, silently screaming at her to grab that blade one more time and slic-

 _Five things you can see…_ The voice sang in her head, calm and majestic in a way that could never be hers. The door, she turned her head, the window, she scanned around the room, Nico’s skull t-shirt plied on the floor in a ball. She took another breath, less shaky this time. The bed post and the sleeping form of her brother, breathing in - breathing out - repeating.

 _Four things you can touch_ … Grace shuffled her bare feet, the bed sheets shuffling above them, shifting with her small kicks. The bed sheets. She brought a hand up to her forehead, feeling the heat on the back of her hand, then let it fall to her cheeks. Water- salty water. Her other hand had found it’s way to the dagger she kept under her pillow, the very same one that killed her brother. It was very beautiful, the hilt having millions upon millions of tiny engravings of leaves, like the top of a tree that was able to fit in her hand. The hilt connected to the silver-black blade like a bunch of roots wrapping around the sharp edge about a third of the blade taken up by them. Dropped by the Empusa that slit his neck, it made Grace feel safe in a way she couldn’t describe, it made her feel like if it could kill someone like her brother, it could kill anything else. Of course the thought made her sad, but the sadness could be morphed into anger if she saw it the right way. Safty. She let her hand move up to the window that rested above her head to the left, looking at the water that sparkled far, far, off near the horizon. The moonlight rested in the air, filling her with a newfound calmness that let her take a breath, completely steady. The cold window.

 _Three things you can hear…_ Her mind went back to Nico, her eyes following soon after, listening to his soft snores and the small exhales through his nose. Nico. She strained her ears, barely, _barely_ , if you listened closely you could hear the waves slapping against each other in a cold battle of dominance. Waves, steady power. She jumped at the soft sound of crickets out her window, maybe she’d been too focused on the blue draw of the waves to notice them, but their sudden excitement riled up the brunette.

 _Two things you can smell…_ She sniffed, a loud thing that almost made her startle herself, but she focused, letting the scents drift through the air. It smelled… _early_ , even it that doesn’t make sense, it does to her. The smell of early morning dew, or the way the world smells when the trees scent sweeps through her and lingers in her hair. She smiled to herself, noticeably more calm than before. She sniffed in again, the smell of sex in the air as well, but it only made her feel better. If it smelled like that it meant Will had been over, and Nico was being loved, Nico was getting everything he deserved, especially after everything he’s been through. The smell was musky and made her feel safe, like she was part of their little family -I mean she is his sister, and pretty much Will’s too-.

 _One thing you can taste…_ Strawberries. It was the last thing she had fed to her in the middle of the field, Angelica having walked with her after everything that happened yesterday… Angelica calmed her down, feeding her the best strawberries she could find and kissing Grace while the taste of the sweet fruit mingled between them, letting her forget the twist ups and turndowns of the past year. At least she had Angelica, the girl who never didn’t love Grace, even though she needed to be cheated on to see it. Angelica, the girl who would never be considered sweet if you never go tot know her, but a person who stood up for everything she believed in with a hard passion that would never leave. Angelica, the daughter of Aphrodite sith beauty to match, her dark cocoa skin and inky curls that made Grace yearn for her pen and scrolls, so she could write out her thoughts so permanently with the quill and vile of ink she chose over modern pens.

_Lance, I think you’d love her too… she’s everything to me._

 

~~~

Lance’s own eyes shot open, _what was that?!_ He tried to sit up, coming to an abrupt stop when he felt a weight shift on top of him. He looked down at the sleeping form of Keith, his face was no longer at peace but scrunched up in pain or distaste, and Lance could feel the wild buck of his hips under the covers, against his leg. He sat there, trying not to forget the remnants of the dream that was slipping away, though he knew it wasn’t fair to Keith, he needed to remember what happened. He let Keith rut against his leg until the shaking started, Lance holding onto him while his mind still wandered, only getting up to Leave once the wetness came and spread across his bare leg letting him know Keith would be satisfied for a while at least.

He tiptoed out of the room, trying to get the door to close as quietly as it could, noticing how everything seemed to be louder when you didn’t want anyone to hear. After standing in front of the door for five minutes, making sure he didn't wake up, Lance took off. He started sprint full speed down the hallway, not taking paying attention to the way the walls wrapped into one line speeding past him, or the way it was disrupted by a blue-haired dark skinned lady walking out of the kitchen. He kept running, not seeing the way Allura followed closely behind with an inhuman speed to match Lance’s olympic speed. He kept running until he finally reached the only door in the castle that had a distinct shape. It was a lot larger than the rest, and had two giant oak doors that had to be manually opened over the electronic ones in the rest of the castle. The shape of the doors were also rather strange. They curved out then back in like the roof of the Taj Mahal together, so when one door was opened it took half of the roof with it. The doors stood out against the white metal of the ship, their dark wood making you think about it, it could be amazing for someone who had a spirit as old as time, the medieval feel drawing them towards it like it will take them back to the time of princesses and dragons, but if you didn’t feel that way you’d be more drawn to the technology of the castle, steering clear of the dark doored dungeon it could be. Or you could be Pidge who didn’t give two fucks because there were books inside. Lance was about to reach for the large brass handle of one of the doors when a voice sounded from behind him.

“Aren’t they lovely?” Lance jumped, the handle banging against the wood, his empty palm open above it. He let out a shaky breath when his eyes meat Allura's sparkling blue ones, that almost looked aqua in the lighting. Her face held a soft smile but her eyes laughed at Lance like they were telling a silent joke. She was wearing a white gown that reached her ankles, lace sleeves covering her arms, but not obstructing the view of them. She did look very pretty, but Lance couldn’t see sexy, just a pretty lady wearing a pure dress. “You know the doors were made by the Blue Paladin?” Lance just looked at her, quirking an eyebrow, “He loved the early earthly attire of it, making it seem majestic and secretive. He did have a lot of secrets, I mean I didn’t know him personally, but nobody really did.”

Lance had fallen silent, never really thinking about the past of the ship or Allura very much, it almost made him feel guilty, like he _should_ know about his Paladin, or -er- Blue’s. Maybe he could get Allura to tell him about the older Paladins, especially since they were both awake at what seemed to be the middle of the night.

“Uh, why are you up in the middle of the night?” Smooth. Allura smiled a little brighter,

“It’s the best time to come into the library. Peace, quiet and no risk of getting caught by Coran!” Lance’s eyebrows shot up, confusion covering his features, but luckily Allura noticed. “Ah, the ‘restricted section’-” She made air quotes with her fingers- “is- obviously- restricted, but that’s where all the secrets are, which is exactly why it’s the best place to read.” She let a mischievous smile take hold of her lips, curving up while her eyebrows stayed down. “What about you?”

Lance ran his fingers through his hair, “Would you believe me if I said it was a bad dream?” She nodded. Motioning to the door she took a few steps forward,

“May I?” Lance put his hands up, as if to say 'do what you want’ and stepped to the side, letting Allura open the large door noisily, wondering if she did this every night, and how she never wakes anyone up. Allura walked into the door that was barely open, only enough to slip inside while her arm popped back out to motion Lance inside. Lance hesitated, only for a moment, before sliding between the doors without another sound.

The library was absolutely beautiful.

Everything about it just called to Lance, the giant bookshelfs that went on forever in each direction that seemed to hold up the ceiling like pillars scattered around the room in a mysterious pattern. A set of silver stairs wrapped around the pillar closest to him, the metal stairs glimmering in the random spouts of candlelight that came from every direction, towering over him. The stairs winded up to bookshelf, not even half way, before branching off and connecting to other stairs and balconies. There were random piles of books everywhere too, taller than he was, and twisting in off directions. The spines of books stuck out from the wooden cases, golden embroidery in almost every one, shining like glass in the sunlight. The best part though must have been the elevated platform in the center, or what he assumed was the center, of the library.

It was a giant circle, taller than Lance by a bit, with a small wooden staircase circling up the side of it, leading them to the top of the circle. On top of the circle was what was impressive. There was a stand in the middle of it that held a giant book, maybe half of Lance's height and as wide as hunk, words of all different fonts and colors littering the insides that blew around randomly despite the lack of wind. There were books placed randomly about in different piles around the platform, stacks ranging in sizes, pushed up against the metal wire railings that swirled around each other to for beautifully intricate patterns.

The floor was covered in carpets, but they were large rectangles with tassels at the end making them look like the flying magic carpets from story books. There were smaller pillows with the same layout, gold and silver patterns covering the solid colors that ranged from the deep red of blood to the dark black of the inky sky. Lanterns were strewn around the floor too, holding colored candles that were out to give the room a comforting glow like the embers of a fire. Lance was still trying to get over the absolutely agonizing perfection of everything when his gaze led upwards, sucking in a breath, his eyes widened. The moral on the roof glowed with a silver light like the moon was behind it at all times, lighting up the glass figures in the window like water during a sunset, all the colors swirling around each other in a dance nobody could understand. The figures in the window caught his eyes as well. Two women stood around each other, one on front and one slightly behind it, hands clasped around each other like they were going to dance. The one in front was wearing a two piece dress, the top only covering her breasts in a tight sheet that didn't really show the indent of there breast, but also showed them off. It was almost a perfect rectangle with rounded edges and corners. The tops was a pure inky black laced with silver around the bottom, the silver curving around the natural shape of her bosom. The silver chain continued down her stomach, which was bare, in an intricate bundle of swirls while staying chained thinly together until it connected to the skirt. The skirt was long, the silver chains hugging around her whole waist where the fabric meet it, cupping her hips. A single piece of fabric hung between her slender legs, covering her 'area’ with another design that ended at the floor with the fabric, the complex chains only going halfway. Another piece of fabric covered the rest of her behind, reaching the floor and pooling under her majestically, the two sides of the fabric connecting under the single part in front. All together the dress’ color went from a midnight black to a dark ocean blue in an ombre. Her hair was also a deep black, slim yet flowing, dark but shining, reaching her hips. A silver crown rested on her forehead, not on top of her head, but woven around her ears and the back. A bright blue gem rested in the middle of her forehead, the sliver slicing through her pale, but incredibly beautiful, complexion to wrap around it and keep it in place. Her face was even better, her dark blue eyes cold yet soft, like a welcoming to those who deserve it but a warning to those who don't. Her red lips were plump, closed into an almost smirk, but so close to not smiling at all, giving her a smug mystical look. Her high cheekbones and moonlight skin only set it off even more.

The other girl look incredibly similar, the dresses being exactly the same but her chains being gold and the ombre being from an angel white to a sunset yellow. Her skin was, very obviously, tan or at least a lot more tan than the other, her golden skin setting off her golden eyes and riveting smile. Her eyes were smiling too, like they were reaching out to hug everyone. The left hand of the paler woman was gloved in a dark lacy black glove, while the other had more golden chains wrapped in between her fingers and around her wrist. Their arms were wrapped around each other so their hands could be flat up against each other, their other arms reached out slightly at the bend of an elbow. In the black dressed woman's hand was an elaborate dagger,

the hilt having millions upon millions of tiny engravings of leaves, like the top of a tree that was able to fit in her hand. The hilt connected to the silver-black blade like a bunch of roots wrapping around the sharp edge about a third of the blade taken up by them. The silver of the blade and the black of the leaves made the dagger look poisonous, even to just touch it. In the other lady's hand was also a dagger but this one was completely plain, looking pretty average, but bright gold, shining brightly next to the darker one. Lance could feel his throat swell at the way everything looked.

He was always one for looks, not to sound full of himself, he just loved when something was able to take his breath away, or was able to make him cry. He _loved_ sunset and the way the night sky looked. He adored the way the ocean looked next to pearly whites beaches, or when the water was an aqua or bright green. He was all about the way scenes could look, never turning down trips in the dark to parks that glowed in the moonlight, or the way the stone paths next to his house in Cuba shone in their daily dullness. He really did miss Earth, but this was close to making up for it.

“Pretty isn't it?” Allura's voice rang through the silence, making Lance jump. Allura had sat down on one of the tasseled carpets, leaning against the matching pillow. She looked smug, like she knew he was going to react like that. He pouted at her while she chuckled, patting the pillow next to her.

“Who are they?” He asked, pointing up to the ceiling, getting on the floor before crawling of her. She smiled fondly while he snuggled into the cushion.

“Nyx and Hemera.” Lance looked over and cocked up an eyebrow, only to meet her chin looking up at the ceiling. Lance was about to look up again but decided against it when the twinge in his neck made itself known, from looking up so long before. “From your Greek Mythology. Goddesses of the Night and Day, respectively.” Lance nodded to no one, he knew this, he knew a lot of Greek mythology actually.

“Something's bothering you.” Both eyebrows raised up, Allura tilting her chin down to meet him eyes. “I can tell. Does it have to do with Keith?” Damn she was good. But was she good enough? “Hmm, it is, but does it dig a little deeper?” Fucker.

“Uhuh-heh…” he rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, “Maybe?” He smiled, shyly.

“Spill.”

That when Lance unknowingly let Allifa figure out everything about Keith, everything that just happened spilling from have lips even though he knew it was a private moment, even though he knew Keith might hate him afterwards, but someone who knew what they were doing knows now, so that'll help him. Right?

“Oh, that's not a big deal!” Allura scoffed off, waving her hand in the air. “He's going through heat, that's all… I assume you are aware of what this is, correct? Did I use the term correctly?”

“Oh, yeah! Yeah I get it,” Lance was nodding his head quickly, almost giving himself a headrush before stopping, “It's just not normal for humans, that's the thing.” It was Allura's turn to raise an eyebrow.

“Do humans not reproduce like us then?” Lance could feel a blush rising in his cheeks, he groan. He did not want to have this conversation with Allura, but it was for Keith.

“No! No, we do, it's just,” he chuckled to himself, “A heat is what animals go through, like a… sexual drive? Do you understand what I mean…?” Allura nodded, a blush rising on her own cheeks, dusting her cocoa skin with a light cherry color. “It only happens in females, and…” he tried to think of words to use he knew she'd understand, “it's when they're brains, like, tell their bodies it's time to reproduce, by giving them the strong urge to-”

“Sex?” Allura asked, innocence still covering her features.

“Uh yeah. See that's where things get freaky. First of all, when humans get it, it's completely different and comes in the form of menstruation… do you-?” She nodded

“Alteans get it too…” she covered her face with her hands, Lance smiling sheepishly.

“Yeah, and the other thing is it only happens to women, and Keith's… not… a… female.” Sounding like he was confusing himself he made frantic motions with his hands while looking at Allura who nodded. She have kinda of a nervous smile before answering.

“That's because Galra are… different.” _No fucking shit._ “They're… how do you say? Genitive? Genti? Geni- _genitals!-_ are much the same as ours, but they _all have them_ .” She blushed a little when she realized she was going to have to explain further, the look of pure confusion on Lance's face showing despite his attempts to cover it up. She sighed, “Men and Female have distinct characteristics that define them, such as their ability to hold children correct?” Lance nodded, “Galrans have the same characteristics, _but_ , they all have both genitals.” Allura slow talking wavered to a stop to let it sink in. Despite coming from a different planet, she had been to Earth before, and knew quite a lot about the people living there, she had too. Also as Princess of Altea she had to be knowledgeable about their enemy, it was just natural, so of course she knew it must be really different than for humans because she witnessed it first hand but she'd also been exploring space longer so it was normal to meet someone completely different than yourself.

“So they are all female… and all male…?” She sighed, pushing her hand down her face from it's resting place on her forehead.

“No. Females can carry children. Males can't. Galra have both genitals, but their ability to carry children is what defines them.” Lance's lips formed a perfect 'o’ a hand smacking his forehead audibly, the blush darkening.

“So… that means Keith's a _girl_?” Allura shook her head,

“Only if he gets pregnant.” Lance nodded, that was really risking things though. Keith needed someone to get through this… heat, but if he got pregnant, _oh shit_ . If he got pregnant he wouldn't be able to fight, they'd have to figure out Voltron on their own, _and a child would be running around the place_ . They couldn't afford that. “Which is why I'm begging you Lance, _please_ , don't let him tempt you. He's going to want to _try_ , that's what a heat does, but do not give in.” The blush was gone, from both of them, a Stern look replacing Allura's while Lance's eyes went wide, mouth set and grim.

“Okay.”

They sat in a comfortable silence for a while, just trying to let those words sink in a little deeper. Lance really liked Keith, like really _really_ liked Keith, but what if Keith wanted kids? What if they were getting rough and he just _begs_ for them, how'd Lance be able to deal with that?! He loves kids, absolutely adores them, and the thought of having them with Keith makes him uncontrollably giddy, but he had to say no. _He had to_. He ran his fingers through his hair, it was going to be okay, even though the stiffness in his body and the nagging voice in the back of his head said otherwise, it was going to be fine but for now he needed a different distraction.

“Hey Allura?” She hummed, turning her head to look at him, “what's in the book?” He pointed over to the large book on the stand, pages still turning aimlessly back and forth. She stood up, a wicked grin making her teeth show, resting in place.

“Look,” she waved her hand in the air, telling him to get closer to it. “It's a book of memories. This is the whole reason we know demigods are still on Earth, or real at all for that matter.” She stood up to the book, speaking in a tongue he couldn't understand and the pages rustled to a stop, flattening out in the middle of the book. He came up behind her, staying behind her outstretched palm that was keeping him there. “This is the book of Athena- as you call her - that was lost by the gods eons ago. It was found by the first Alteans, whether it was intentional or not.” She pointed to the book, Lance tilting his head down to meet her fingertip. He sucked in a breath, on the page a soft rose colored writing danced across the page, like an invisible person was scribbling down, the letters twisting and curling in a way that was so utterly familiar he grabbed her arm to steady himself. Allura's handwriting danced across the giant book, filling the page up with words until it couldn't fit anymore. Lance's wide eyes turned to Allura for an explanation. “The book is like a record. It holds all the memories every demigod had ever had. Every single breathing second is written in this book, almost as if they've written it themselves.” Lance's eyes sparkled, the thing he learns in space are so much cooler than the multiplying fractions everyday. “But, like most good things, there's a catch. A few catches actually.” She chuckled to herself, letting her hand hit the pages of the book, trailing down the letters with her fingertips as if petting an animal. “The memories of another person can only be accessed by said person, or with the permission of. The other thing is memories can be played back time and time again, much like a video, but they are never exact which is why they are so hard to follow.”

Lance's eyebrows shot up, his urge to know more about it growing, while it hurts him to try to understand. He makes a frustrated noise, “I'm never going to understand this…” he flops down on the tasseled pillows again, bits of dust flying up around him, the clink of beads sounding through the air. “I just… can't.” He groaned again, “please continue, I want to try.” Her confusion turned sweet, a smile playing on her lips.”

“Music is the most powerful thing we have. It can tell stories and create love and _destroy_ , with just a note.” She raised an eyebrow at him, silently asking if he understood. He did. “Memories are like that, only you can see it and feel it and love it and hate it. The only way to contain something like that is by using something just as powerful-”

“You trap the memories?” She bit her lip, eyebrows scrunched together.

“You make it sound so vile. But… yes.” She pushed her mouth to the side. “Then we play them back, the music of their words and the music of their surroundings keeps it _alive_.”

“That's why they're so hard to understand! Because they're songs!” Lance punched his fist in the air, nodding his head in victory. “It makes sense!” his victory was short lived though, his fist slowing lowering. “So… that's the memories of all demigods?” A nod. “And what would I see if I tried to look in it?” Allura's know-it-all look vanished, her mouth turning down, not it a frown but more like she was agreeing with his question. She shrugged her shoulders, eyes still think despite her slouching position.

“I guess it's never really been… tried before?” She stepped away from the book, “Only one way to find out.” she smiled smugly, making her look a lot like Lance, and his little sister. His heart glowed when he stepped up to the book, watching the pink letters disapparate almost as fast as they appeared. He got a little closer, lightly touching his fingertips to the last visible letters before they vanished.

Like lightning the pages started turning, almost eating his hand while it grappled  through itself. He could feel a wind pick up from nowhere, his heart picking up pace in his chest, feeling it beat against his ribcage. He looked up to try to grasp at Allura, the wind getting stronger, his clothes almost being ripped from his frame while his hair felt like it was being torn from his skull. He tried to force his wind-blown eyes open, barely managing to squint in the sudden bursts of wind around his face. He sucked in a breath, his lungs heaving for air when nothing got in, fire burning in his chest at the feeling. Everything danced around his vision too fast for him, colors spinning endlessly in the void all around him like the inside of a tornado, until finally it stopped.

And

Lance sucked in a breath, tears burning behind his closed eyes he didn't dare to open. He knew that voice. He knew those tears, and the way she hiccupped when she cried. He opened his eyes, greens and browns flooding his vision, along with the rainbow of others mixing to create a forest in front of his eyes, everything appearing like it was coming through a fog. He swallowed, feeling hit stick in his throat, slowly turning around to face her.

A little girl sat leaned up against a giant boulder, that resembled a giant fist, scrawny knees pushed against her semi-developed chest. Her elbows were resting on her knees, letting her head rest in her hands and cover her eyes. The chocolate colored spirals that surrounded her face were wet and sticking to her cheeks, glowing pink from what was visible. She was wearing black skinny jeans and a black tank top that were darker in some spots, probably wet, but what caught his eyes were the soaking bandages that wrapped around both of her wrists and forearms. Through the thinning paper he could almost see something…

His thoughts were cut off when he felt something wrapped around his arm. He stayed still, eye moving to the thing clinging to his arm only long enough the see Allura's blue eyes widening at him before his gaze went back to the girl. Both of their heads snapped to the side following the sound of rustling leaves. They watched the spasms from the trees, waves of unease flowing through them at the newness of the sensations.

Eventually the rustles stopped, an olive skinned boy coming out, so very pale, and dark eyes that seemed almost black to match his black jeans, much like the girls, and shirt. The thing that may have caught his eye the most was the shining black sword attached to the waist of the boy,  almost half his height at that, next to the fact that he looked so much like Keith. He didn't have the mullet but the facial structure and the broken look they both carried around tipped everything ten times over.

_What if it was Keith?_

They could feel the mood change before they saw it. They could feel what was about to happen before they heard it too. The air around them seemed to get heavier with an emotion he couldn't identify, sounds so beautiful filling his ears and drowning out the hiccups and heavy breathing from the two. The boy caught sight of the girl just as the music surrounded them, the tune more happy than sad though both were present, he skidded to a stop right in front of her, pulling her into an embrace that seemed foreign to both for them, yet not to either. Her knees fell along with her arms, her body hanging like a limp doll in his arms. Her chin rested on his shoulder, lip in between her teeth and eyes wide. The tears that had presumably stopped had started again, the newfound tears flowing down her cheeks and onto his shoulder. He didn't seem to care about the wetness of her tears, or her clothes and body for that matter.

Allura looked up at him, she had a hand over her mouth and her own eyes were shining with unshed tears. The music never stopped either, but this time there were words, the pale lips of the girl talking- no, _singing_ \- into his shoulder, the boy pulling her closer.

 _“Hey brother, there's an endless road to rediscover.”_ She hiccupped, but her voice was smooth and sweet, filling the tune perfectly. Lance was falling apart and had taken to Allura for support. Her arms were around his one arm, both of them having fallen to the ground on there knees. He remembered when she would sing to him, her's and her brother's voices had been perfect, harmonizing together like it was a second nature. Who knows? Maybe it was.

 _“Hey sister, you know the water's sweet but blood is thicker. Oh, and if the sky is falling down, for you there's nothing in this world I wouldn't do.”_ Lance felt a stab at his heart. That wasn't her brother, and he didn't deserve to be with her. Nobody did except him and Gabriel, except maybe Lance didn't deserve her anymore, she was so precious as a child. Now she's a teen, grown up and alone because Lance was afraid to help her stay. This boy though, he was a mystery but maybe he only thought that because Grace was taking solace in the boy… and not him.

Before he could straighten up the wind started blowing once again, the colors fading into an endless white void, his cold blood chilling further once the whiteness turned into the library once again. He looked at Allura whose wide eyes were looking back at him. She removed the hand from her mouth, backing up a bit, unlatching herself from Lance's arms.

“That wasn't my memory.” Lance could feel tears prick the corners of his eyes.

“I know.”

“That means it's someone’s _you_ know.”

“I know.” Allura squinted her eyes, Lance's voice growing hoarse from the strain of keeping his tears at bay.

“What aren't you telling us?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The song is 'Hey Brother's by Avicii.


	5. Chapter 5

Lance didn't remember leaving the library, he didn't remember skidding down the hallway and he certainly didn't remember ending up back in his room. He was breathing so hard he could feel his lungs straining against his ribcage, his heart that had been pounding before was no having violent spasms in his chest, making his body ache. He could feel tears leaking from his eyes, but he quickly tried to hide it once he heard the shuffling from them bed.

“Lance?”

A tired voice sounded from the other side of the room, Lance's head shooting up from his spot on the floor. He rested it on the cold metal of the door, letting his warm cheeks bask in the cold. He moved his eyes to the growing shape on his bed, the covers rustling and falling to the floor in one heave. Keith's shape rose from underneath, crawling out from under the remaining sheets on the bed. The purple hue to his skin was gone, at least for now, and the tail and ears had retracted. His messy hair stood up at odd angles, making him look absolutely adorable. He rubbed his eyes and yawned, Lance's mind melting at how small and cute his yawns were.

“You're skin changed? Already?” Lance got on all fours, pushing himself back up. His gaze was met by the shaking of a head, denying the question.

“Last time it came in like… phases. The next time’ll probably be worse.” He crawled over on the bed, giving Lance room to sit down. They were going to have to talk about what had happened, no matter how much they didn't want to, they had to. “It'll probably be back tomorrow, or even in a few hours, I can never tell.” Lance heard shuffling next to him and saw Keith bring his knee up to his chest, cradling himself. It resembled Grace so much Lance wanted to hug him, or vomit. He chose the former. Lance scooted over, his lanky arms snaking around the younger boy hesitantly. He let one rest on his hip and the other wrapped around his legs to meet the other. Lance mustered some strength from training, picking up the ball and placing him on his lap.

“Hey,” he cooed, making Keith look at him, “it'll be okay, alright?” Keith nodded, his eyes big, making him look so cute and innocent. Lance shuddered underneath him, closing the distance between their lips. Keith's lips we're warm and soft, inviting him into Keith, making emotions spark up, in him and around him, he'd never felt before. It wasn't really intense or very intimate, just soft and promising so Keith would know Lance was going to be there for him. When they broke apart, Keith had unballed and was straddling the Blue Paladin who was leaning against the wall.

Lance was breathing in deeply, focusing on the why Keith's eyes would get darker then lighter again with his breaths, like the minimal light in the room was hitting them just right. He smiled, watching Keith's questioning glances go up and down his face.

“What?” Keith had tried to sound threatening, or at least a little less confused, but he squealed it out instead. Lance's heart exploded.

“You're so perfect. Everything about you is beautiful.”

He didn't even get a chance to touch Keith's face like he meant to before Keith's face connected with his chest. He was shaking on top of him, and Lance could see the red on his ears, so red it almost looked like it hurt. He could hear a mumbling coming from him, feeling the vibrations on his chest, he choked on a laugh, only letting a small giggle out.

“Keith~” he heard a slight 'hmmp’ from the black hair in his face. “You okay?” A nod “Keith, come on~”

“You smell good.” He responded, looking up at Lance. Lance almost died from how cute Keith looked, making him want to crush him in a hug, but he also found the compliment kinda weird and… random for lack of a better word.

“I smell good?”

“Mhmm.” Keith brought his face closer to Lance, sticking his nose in the crook of his neck. He inhaled deeply, the small breeze leaving a tingling sensation on Lance’s neck. Lance was about to say something again when something poked him in the stomach, something hard. All at once Keith’s movements stopped, his arms trailing away from where the strayed up around Lance’s neck, setting them carefully in his lap. The blush on his face was unbelievably red, making his violet eyes stand out, fuller and brighter. When he met Lance’s eyes he looked so uncertain it made Lance’s heart lurch. “Maybe we should go tria-”

“Keith, come on, you don’t need to be afraid of me.” He spoke softly, one hand reaching up to cup his face. He leaned in for a kiss, trying to push his tongue into Keith’s mouth, but he pushed away. “Keith?” Keith refused to meet Lance’s eyes, seemingly becoming way more interested in his lap, hands twitching on his thighs. “Baby are you okay?” His thighs started to shake at that, his gaze lifting up once again, violet meeting blue. Almost too suddenly Keith spasmed, tears falling from his eyes and lurching forward onto Lance, Keith’s hardness pushed up against his side, and Keith fucking  _ mewled _ .

“I’m sorry! I’msorryI’msorryI’msorry! Y-you’re scent must have triggered it- I just don’t-  _ oh it hurts, Lance! _ ” He continued to sob, rutting against Lance, who was trying to comfort him in anyway he could. He wrapped his arms around him, shushing the mumbles and sobs.

“Oh, baby, is that all? Listen, it’s okay- good actually!- now we can experiment, right? Let’s find out what you like?” He shifted, laying Keith on the bed and hovering over him. Lance didn’t even wait to see if it was okay before pulling down Keith’s pants in one swift motion. His underwear remained on for the moment, his cock straining against the fabric. Lance moved his face up, kissing Keith’s cheeks were tears were streaked and leaving stains. He whimpered at the contact, rutting up once again.

Lance removed his shirt swiftly, Keith’s following his own to the floor shortly after. He looked up and met Keith’s gaze, who nodded at him to keep going, despite neither of them really knowing what they were doing. Lance left a trail of kisses down Keith’s chest, sucking at certain places every now and then. Once his face was planted firmly in between Keith’s nipples, he began to linger, his hands roamed around Keith’s abdomen, smoothing over his muscles. They were so big, they were heavenly to roam over, but Lance had just realized how he’s never seen them before. Not in the sense that he’s never seen Keith without a shirt- even though that’s true - they’ve just never protruded through his shirt, even if it was incredibly tight. He brought his gaze up, almost missing the slight whine Keith let out at the loss of contact, looking up and down the smaller boys body. He look really  _ feminine _ , his skinny frame wasn’t even the only thing that set it off. His thighs were large and rounded, giving his hips larger shape too. His calves were extremely feminine too, having more of a rounded shape than the angular shape of a mans. Lance didn’t think it looked bad- he loved it even -it just probably wasn’t a good sign in the whether he’s a boy or girl situation.

He shook off the thoughts though, lowering his lips to the left nipple, tucking it into his mouth softly. The groan Keith let out was too loud to mean he was extra sensitive, seeing as how even on a good day they typically weren’t  _ that  _ sensitive. He swirled his tongue around it, loving the way Keith gasped and rolled under him when he rolled it between his teeth. His hand had reached up to stroke the other one, absently twisting it in his fingers in the way Keith had been most responsive to. Though Lance could play with them all day, it didn’t take long for Keith to grow inpatient. He started to pull away, event taking to pushing Lance’s head down softly, trying to get him to go lower. Lance released the pink bud, giving it a few more strokes before grinning up at Keith.

“You like that?” He was answered with a shudder and a nod, the boy pulling himself closer to Lance again. Lance took a deep breath, “You ready for this?” He didn’t get an answer for that one, Keith bringing his hands up and cupping his own face, groaning deeply. 

“Yeah”

“Just… tell me if you get uncomfortable.”

“Y-Yeah”

Lance sucked in a breath, before hooking his finger around the waistband of Keith’s boxers, and pulling down.

 

~~~

 

“Baby girl! Please calm down, this’ll help, this’ll help you this’ll help…” Nico chorused to Grace, holding his little sister in his lap. He was the only one she was responsive to, tears streaming down her face and spitting out cries of restraint. Using her nickname was seemingly the only thing that was keeping her from a full blown panic attack. Despite the way it sounded it was completely brotherly love, the nickname forming on it’s own, and in no way a sexual relationship. He was older than her, much unlike Hazel who was actually older than him- though not by much-,  he was the dominant one in the relationship for once, and gave him an urge to protect her, keep her happy, and keep her loved. The nickname would change too, from ‘baby girl’ to ‘baby sis’ but the baby stayed, so she’d know he was here. It was a small thing, a small thing to say, but it worked and it kept her younger, it kept her knowing she didn’t need to fight all these battle anymore because she had someone who would do it for her. Nico loved her, and Hazel, more than anything in the world. He shot a look to Annabeth, but immediately look away, noting Annabeth already hooked up to her machine.

Her wrists where reddening from the brass cuffs that lined them, pulling her arms down so she hung from the wall, making her look remarkably like a medieval prisoner but instead of having chains, multiple wires were wrapped around them and creating a trail down and into the wall where the machine was embedded. She was kneeling on the floor ushering Nico to bring Grace next to her. She was to only other one allowed to use her nickname.

“Baby girl, I think it’s time to show them.” Grace looked up, her tear stricken face hollowed out, her cheekbones standing at attention. She shook her head lightly, what would they think if they saw? However it was too late to keep ideas from jumping around the room. Jason looked at her, along with everyone else in the room- Angelica, Asher, Piper, Will, Percy, and the guy who operated the machine-, except for Nico and Annabeth who made a show of avoiding everyone’s gazes. Jason was first to speak, his voice low and controlling, the voice he used when he was ordering his battalion into battle.

“Give me your arm.” She instinctively closer her arms around her wrists, arm crossed over each other in a way that couldn't be comfortable but Jason snatched them anyway with surprising delicacy. Her pulled the leather glove off, only to reveal a bandage that wrapped up her wrist and half her forearm. Her gave her one last look, and thankfully she nodded, it was time to show them. Jason had a soft spot for her, she was like a daughter to him, his heart filled with the urge to be around her but in a way that confused him. It wasn’t like how he wanted to be around Piper, like touching and holding and kissing, or like the way he wanted to be around Nico or Percy, where they would fight and laugh and slap around each other with no cares in the world. It was different yet he couldn’t explain it, but there was no way he was going to pull off that bandage if she was trying so hard to keep it on. But she wasn’t, so he could.’

He gently place her hand in his, heart swelling at how small hers was compared to his, and pinched at her skin to find the end of her bandage. The white material was soft in his fingers, finding the end and wrapping it around his own hand to take it off of hers, working his way down her arm. He gasped softly once he reached her wrist, letting the cloth fall off his hand in spirals. Her wrist was completely black, all around in a small line, but that wasn’t the scary part. The blackness worked it’s way up her arm, branching off the main one into smaller pieces, like roots drawing color from the source. The color got lighter the further away from the wrist it got, turning from a dark diamond black to a purple that reminded him of a flower. Her wrists almost looked poisonous, like her touch would hurt someone else, but he held onto it letting his callous fingers trail up her frail arm. He heard the sound of multiple intakes of breath behind him, indicating everyone had gotten closer to take a look at what was enticing the general so much. Her hands were balled into fists and he could see her chewing the inside of her lip, but she didn’t pull away. Instead she pulled her arms up, making Jason stand up with her and walk to the other side of the room where another set of wired cuffs hung from the wall. She didn’t say anything with words but took one cuff and lined it up to the wrist Jason was holding, his face hardening at the way the width of the cuff matched the width of the black darkness of her wrist. He absolutely hated that they were doing this to her, but they had no choice. This was the one thing he was able to disagree with her on, doing it despite her lack of consent, but they try everyday to make it up to her.

He took the cuff from her and pushed the open ends together until his heard the click, doing the same to her other hand. He watched her face slowly turn expressionless, internally groaning. He did feel bad for it, he always did, but she made it so, so, much worse by forcing them to feel it. Of course she knew they needed to do this to her, they needed to hook her up to the machine, they needed to take some of her powers away, literally suck the life force out of her, despite how bad that sounded they needed to. They all felt bad about everything she had to go through, all of it because of them, which is why Annabeth does it with her.

Grace is special in two ways. The first way is better than the second, in the fact that she is a Chosen. Nyx and Artemis chose her to protect the night- Apollo and Hermera choosing Annabeth- which was great, amazing in fact, but it of course came with benefits like powers she had yet to discover, and powers she already found… but the overuse of them makes her completely unstable, so much so she could hurt someone. That’s the first reason they need to take her powers and why Annabeth does it with her. The second is so much worse. So much worse and the reason if affects her more than Annabeth. The only problem is she won’t talk about it. At least not to them.

He secured her onto the wall, bending her knees for her and giving one last glance at her face. He looked over at the cloaked man in the room, telling him to activate the machine, turning his back to Grace after. He watched the tech glow a bright purple, the wires lighting up… and the screaming.

_ Oh! The screaming. _

It’s enough to hurt everyone who can hear it. Percy had run over to Annabeth, grabbing at her waist to try to calm her down, but it does nothing. Her screams echo around the room louder than Grace’s, her eyes turning a blood red through her shrieks. On the other side Nico and Will are grabbing her legs, trying to keep her from thrashing around, she’s too close to the floor, hitting it hard enough would result in a broken bone. Her back arches off the wall while a bloodcurdling scream fills the empty space, and almost as suddenly as it started, it stops. The screaming shrivels down to small whimpers, the girl's’ hair is matted to their faces with sweat and tears, both faces soaked either way. Both pairs of cuffs unlocked at the same time, smoke gray and wafting off their wrists, the girls fall forward. Annabeth was caught by Percy with a groan, blacking out almost instantly after being caught. Grace fell back first onto the ground, both her legs still bound by the boys, her head hitting the metal wall with a clang. Heat spread across the back of her head, the pain was barely even noticeable after the procedure. She brought a hand up to hold the place she hit, but stopped short, a small choking sound emitting from the back of her throat.

It had spread. The dark marks on her wrist had grown almost exactly like roots or…  _ blood vessels. _ Her eyes went wide, how’d she miss it before? It was obvious wasn’t it, her blood was being infected, or disinfected… either way she wasn’t really sure what it was supposed to mean. They never hurt so it wasn’t a poison but it wasn’t exactly comfortable either. It wasn’t a physical discomfort but the thought of people seeing it, and knowing she was fucked up like she was, or the thought of people wanting to know more. The anger inside her built up, of course she had to be as self-conscious as she was, that's how she managed to survive on her own for years. That’s how she managed to cope with how majorly fucked up everything around her seemed to be, like she infected it. Like she was the problem.

Maybe that’s why she became so distant after… because if something could go that wrong with people, then she didn’t want to be the reason. She didn’t want to be blamed for spreading her disease of pain and anger and  _ death _ , because it was always her fault wasn’t it? Whenever something bad happened, she was  _ always _ a part of it. Linked somehow. Destined to never just  _ be happy _ . A Child of Hades.

The thoughts made her heart ache and her fingers burn for something to touch. Her heart longed for Angelica, her fingers feeling their way towards Nico, catching him in a hug by the sleeves of his shirt. She let out a sob, so small only Nico was able to hear it, pulling her closer to his body in their hug. He seemed to know exactly what she was thinking, seemed to know she wanted to be with Angelica, but wanted him to stay. He also seemed to know why she chose to grab him first, the fact that both of them needed to understand that they were going through the same problem, but they had each other and they each had someone else.

She whined again, trying to push herself away from her brother who wouldn’t let go. She didn’t seem to realize she hadn’t stabilized fully and couldn’t hold herself up on her own. She tried to muster another sound, she needed to get her attention, but she felt her body lift from the ground. She gasped slightly, it sound more like a breath, rolling in Nico’s hands to face him with wide eyes. He nodded at her, walking the few feet the the girl who was talking to Jason no doubt about her. They stopped mid-conversation to look at the helpless bundle in Nico’s arms who was trying to reach up, her fingers barely brushing against Angelica’s bronze skin before falling limp once again. Grace let out a little groan, pain flaring through her systems at the small movements.

“Come on Angie, let's bring her home.” She nodded, following Nico and Will out the door. She caught up with the two boys outside, a thin layer of snow dusting the ground. It made the world look so pretty, the way the snow lit up the grass while some of the color was still visible, giving it an aged look. She smiled to herself, Grace loved winter, in fact she said it was her favorite time of the year… but Angelica knew better. The way she talked about it, almost like it was _ painful _ , but she would never let anything about the topic slip, carefully wording her sentences in a way only she could. She always had a way with words. Speaking of which…

“Hey guys?” The two boys turned to the side looking at her, eye straining in the dark moonlit path. “What do you know about her?” She nodded to the girl passed out it Nico's arms, who was obviously trying to pretend her weight had no effect on him.

Will's eyebrow shot up, “What do you mean?” She bit her lip, she wasn't exactly sure how to explain what she wanted to know.

“Like, does she talk to you, about her past? Her family?” She waited, both boys exchanging a look before turning back to her, but- “Not that I mean to sound pushy! I just mean we're dating and I want to get to know her, so she knows I'm there for her, and she never talks to me and I don't know if she doesn't trust me or-” Will cut of her rambling with a laugh, even Nico giving a slight chuckle.

“Wait- do you think she’s,” Will looked at Nico, “What’s the word I’m looking for?”

“Holding back? Restraining?” Nico shrugged, looking back at Angelica. “She loves you ya know, no way she’s keeping secrets from you because it’s you.” Angelica looked at him, confusion poking through her stern gaze. Nico hummed, “If she’s not telling you something, it’s not because she doesn’t want  _ you _ to know. She just doesn’t want you to react to  _ her. _ ” Her eyes widened, looking at the limp body.

“I just want her to trust me.” Nico nodded to the upcoming door, telling Will to get it for them. He rushed ahead of them slightly, leaving the two.

“Then trust me.” She whipped her head to the side, their chocolate eyes meeting in the middle. “Don’t push her, she’s been through a lot.” She nodded, but was obviously not satisfied. Nico sighed, “What?” He tried to make it sound annoyed but he couldn’t help the smile that played on his lips.

“You never answered my original question you know.” Nico smiled down at the girl.

“To be honest what we know and why we know it is kinda confusing.” She pushed her way through the door, letting Will sit on Nico’s bed, while Nico shuffled through with the girl in his arms. He laid her down on her bed, Grace growing in contact with her bed, along with Nico who groaned from finally setting her down. It wasn’t that she was heavy, she was very small in fact, it’s just so is Nico and he was holding her for quite awhile. “She’s never actually  _ told _ us anything but…”

“But…?” Angelica waved her hand in a circular motion, urging him to keep going. Nico smiled, walking over to the shared closet next to the bathroom and opening the door. He stood in the way of her view, making her instinctively move her head to see around his legs.

“She writes down,  _ everything _ .” He smiled and stepped to the side, letting the closet floor come into view. At first look it would seem completely messy but upon closer inspection, the entire floor is covered in books. Just book. Leather, hardcover, all of them having uneven or discolored pages, showing just how much they were used. Different colors littered the floor, from black to dark blues to blood reds, all of them looking ancient and powerful with their leather covers. Some of them were decorated with jewels and beads, giving them a character that would draw in even the people who hate reading. They were all beautiful in their own way, and Angelica wondered if Grace did that on purpose, giving them a quality like that. Angelica got on the floor and crawled over to the open closet door pawing through the stacks of books, some of them going halfway up the wall.

“You’ve read  _ all of them _ ?” She locked eyes with one that spoke to her especially. It’s color was on ombre of blue and black, black on top fading into a light blue at the bottom. There were small diamond like gems, of all sizes, on it in a pattern that looked remarkably familiar. The diamonds looked like stars on the skylight background, which might have been why she liked it so much.

“Well most of them at least. And before you ask, she knows.” Angelica nodded, opening the book to the first page. Her fingers were shaking like she was going to start crying, delicately pawing at the page in hopes not to rip it. She read the first line, the pattern on the cover becoming a lot clearer.

_ Nyx came back today, talking to me in my dreams, and sometimes not. She’s like the voice in your head that’s always telling you to stay safe, like your conscience, but different. She's like a sister, an older sister that knows everything and doesn't mind boasting about it. This time she came 'bearing gifts’. This is the second one she's given me, and I don't know how to cope with it. Wings. She gave me angel wings, but they're so beautiful. And so so painful. I hate them more than I love them I'm afraid to say, but they're there. _

_ They're a pure black, completely black, except for the jewels that hang from them excessively. Bright blue diamonds and sapphires hand from pearly whites beads, some of them hang straight down while others curve into smiles that connect to other pearls. It's so pretty and one of the best things about them, but they're too beautiful especially for me. I don't deserve a gift like this, not someone so broken. _

_ They left a tattoo too. It's just the outline of it though, black feather's going down my torso, my back being left with two wings resting peacefully in between my shoulder blades. The jewels are also outlined, making my back look like a galaxy. Maybe someday I'll have the courage to show Angelica, I know she'd love them but I can't help but be cautious. I love her too much to scare her away. _

Angelica slowly moved her gaze from the book, closing it softly with a small puff of dust flowing around her, to the girl on the bed. She heard Nico's voice behind her, sound hesitated, almost like he's trying to be cautious with her.

“We don't know  _ everything _ about her, because the writings only start when she was in the orphanage… we don't know about anything before that.” Will piped in from next to him, sounding like he was ready to solve a mystery,

“It's like she never existed before then… or maybe she's just not talkin’ about it…” he said the last part rushed and jumbled, trying to make it seem like less of a possibility. All eyes scanned towards the girl anyway, watching her jerky movements in her sleep.

 

~~~

 

“Has anyone seen Lance? I haven't seen him all morning…” Hunk scrambled into the dining area, looking through the faces for Lance's. Shiro was first to respond,

“I haven't seen him, and for that matter I haven't seen Keith that much either.” He looked conflicted, trying to decide if he should be worried or amused. “Maybe they're bonding?” He shrugged and continued to spoon food into his mouth.

They all missed the blush that tinted Allura's cheeks, sitting at the head of the table. She looked up from her food, coughing into her sleeve slightly to get his attention.

“They are bonding in a fashion-” she ignored their looks, “-so I advised that we leave them alone. In the meantime though…” she stood up, her dress softly floating behind her while she walked. She motioned for the Paladins to follow her, waving her hand until she was out the door. They all exchanged equal looks of confusion before following her out the door, their metal armour clanging down the hall to catch up to her.

“What's with the rush, Princess?” Pidge sped up next to her, running in time with Allura's steps. They kept down the hallway Pidge searching Allura's expression for an answer, until they finally turned into the bridge. The large glass in the front seeped in light from a larger star in the distance, the control panels glowing golden in the light. They all went the their respective positions in the back, except for Shiro who didn't have one, but he took Keith's for his lack of presence. Pidge and Hunk sat on the other side, all the green glowing panels appearing out of nowhere at the same time. The glow casted an eerie glow on their faces, with quite a contrast compared to Allura's that was glowing a jubilant blue, like cool ice.  

“Just waiting for instructions, Princess.” Shiro called from the back, pulling up his screen. Allura turned around and smiled,

“As it turns out, Lance knows a demigod who can help us…” She turned back around and typed something into her screen.

“What are you saying?” Another smile, but they weren't able to see this one.

“I'm saying, set a course for Earth, Pidge. We're beating the Galra there, and we're going to win this war.”


	6. New Horizons

Lance was eating up every single sound Keith made. From his little whimpers to the groans that rumbled in his chest, Lance loved them. It didn’t matter that they were so…  _ un-Keith-like,  _ but at the same time they  _ so _ were. The sounds didn’t sound normal coming from his mouth, that’s for sure, but they sounded so  _ right _ . When he whimpered it was such a foreign sound, but it wasn’t bad, though it was beautiful. The whimpering helped, helped calm Lance down when he first set eyes on Keith’s alien dick. It was almost  _ scary _ the way it looked, and what appeared to be attached to it, but the sounds that sailed past Keith’s lips were worth it.

Lance looked down once again at Keith’s nether, mouth open in awe and horror. It looked like a flower, to be honest, and the giant knob at the base certainly wasn’t helping his nerves. For the most part it looked the same, it was an average length with a thicker girth, but then you reach the top and that’s when it gets a little freaky. Near the crown was a layer of spikes that lined the outside, rimming the head. They bent out and were semi-curved giving them the look of a flower petal peeling away from it’s center. He made the safe assumption to stay away from them, for the most part at least, but it did take away from his original idea to put it in his mouth. He’d never done it to anyone before, so his nerves were already spiked, but the fact that something else was spiked wasn’t getting them anywhere. He looked up at Keith, trying to look past his parted lips and flushed cheeks, to his concerned eyes.

“Is s-something wrong?” He sounded so worried, it made Lance’s heart ache. Yes,  _ yes _ , there was just a little problem but did he really want to tell him that? Before Lance could stop anything, Keith sat up and almost flew out of the bed at that.

He had shifted slowly, barely managing to balance on his elbows before he took one look at his hard cock and  _ screamed. _ His elbows not only fell out from under him, but his whole body lurched forward with a painful gasp, flinging himself to the floor in a vigour mess of blushing red and a scared blue covering his skin. Unfortunately for Lance when Keith jumbled of the bed his legs, the legs that were on either side of him, flung off with him and latched onto the closest thing for support. His legs curved around Lance’s waist, holding onto him while another scream met his own, both boys tumbling to the ground. 

“ _ Ithasneverlookedlikethatbefore!?” _ Keith yelled, face still firmly pressed to the cold metal of the ship’s floor, all his words coming out slurred and jumbled from being spoken directly into an inanimate object. Lance’s first instinct was to laugh, until he saw Keith’s lip that stuck out slightly or the way his body shaking slightly _. Oh shit, he was about to cry. _

Lance’s brotherly instincts kicked in- hardcore kicked in -ignoring the fact that Keith’s underwear was bunched at his knees, or the way his cock was still stiff despite the shock of it all. Lance had grabbed him by the waist and pulled him in his lap, ignoring his own half-hard cock, and started humming into his ears. It was soft shushes repeating, ‘We aren’t going to run away again, okay?’ with a little laugh in his voice to make sure Keith understood there was no hostility in his voice. Keith pushed himself forward a bit anyway, jumping of Lance with a squeak, sitting back on the bed. 

He looked shy, hands placed firmly in his lap to cover his hardness, either because he’s embarrassed that he’s still hard, or that it looks the way it does. Whatever the reason may be, Lance found it endearing, smiling softly at the boy on the bed. Lance scooted over, just enough to be right next to Keith’s pale slim legs, that shone in the dim light of the room. He wordlessly picked up one of his legs, ignoring the muffled whine that came from Keith, and continued to press his lips to it. They were completely hairless, not that Lance minded hair, but they felt so nice and smooth that Lance couldn’t help but slightly drag his lips across it just to savor the feeling of them. He place little kisses to his knee, dragging his lips down until he reached the boxers jumbled on his legs. He took his time with that too, ignore complaints from above, bending Keith’s leg for him and removing it from the loop before doing the same thing to his other leg.

Keith groaned from above, because if Lance was trying to be a menace he was doing a good job. The way he slowly tampered with Keith’s pants, trying to take it slow and make it a nice evening for them, but Keith couldn’t take it. He threw his head back on the bed, barely missing the wall with his head but at the pace Lance was going he might’ve been fine with being knocked out for a few minutes. Despite his complaints, he didn’t really think it was boring, he was just  _ so impatient _ that it was getting hard to focus on how sweet Lance was being. He was trying to make it nice and do it right, but Keith needed it, he wasn’t even exactly sure what he needed but he needed something.  _ Anything  _ to satisfy the urges. Now.

Lance must have felt his inpatients, maybe it was the way all his muscles clenched when he was waiting, like it was taking a physical toll on him, because he chuckled and stopped his movements. Keith looked over his chest, past his alien dick, and at the boy on his knees in front of him. He looked so peaceful and sure of what he was doing, all hints of fear from before gone. Keith made a strangled noise, how could he be so confident if he was so scared… but so, so, ready? He knew he needed something since his body was begging in a way that made him want to rip himself open to find the source of the fire burning so deep inside of him. His body was on fire, he could feel the heat rippling through him like waves crashing down on his body, just like last time except this time he had someone to help him. He wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or not though. So scared to accept the fact that he liked Lance in the first place, all he can think about is how he’s going to leave him after this, that he’s just here because he’s a good person trying to help someone in need. The other half though is yearning for his touch and his confidence and the way he would try new things head on, even without the slightest bit of background. 

“Hey, we're going to figure this out together, okay?” Lance sat up on his knees, both his hands going onto Keith’s legs, who nodded.

Lance pushed slightly, making Keith spread his legs open, his hand instinctively planting themselves in his lap, keeping his erection hidden from view. Lance smiled once again, covering up his nerves and doing a pretty good job. Lance felt Keith’s body tense under him, his legs straining to shut under Lance’s grip. Lance scooted in between his legs to keep them open with his whole body, moving his hands to Keith’s wrists instead.

Keith watched silently, legs still shaking, while Lance grabbed his wrists and pulled slightly. He looked up one last time and Keith finally gave in, nodding when he let his arms fall loose on his lap. Lance smiled to himself and moved Keith's hands, keeping one firmly in his grasp while the other moved to Keith's hardness. They both looked down at it, realizing it had changed once again, making it look far larger than before. The shaft had curled a little more, curving into his stomach with the head touching his abdomen. The flower petals seemed to have curved around the head, making it look like a larger version of the original tip, glowing a slight red on his purple skin. Lance extended his arm and tentatively touching the bulging red head, looking up for a reaction. He didn’t have to look very hard though because Keith  _ cried out _ , his voice rising a few octaves and his lips spreading way further than they should have by a tiny touch like that. Lance couldn’t help but wonder if it was that Galra are more sensitive or just that fact that he’s never been touched like that before. Lance did it again knowing that Keith needed it- and gods damn it- Lance  _ really _ needed it too.

Keith gripped the bedsheets till his knuckles turned white, fingers turning a darker purple from the strain. His breathing became shallow and his heart rate sped up, the pounding in his chest seemed to be the only thing her could hear. Until Lance touched him again. Keith wasn’t even able to process it at first, all he could feel was heat, Lance’s mouth was waiting above the head not dipping down but not leaving either. Keith wasn’t even entirely sure what to expect once he lowered his mouth, would it feel gross? With his saliva and teeth, Keith couldn’t think of a way it could be  _ good _ . He could only imagine Lance biting or spitting and none of those sounded appealing to him, he wasn’t even sure it  _ Lance  _ would like it- I mean he was putting his mouth  _ on his dick. _

Damn was he wrong.

Lance’s mouth was  _ amazing _ . Keith moaned out his name, knowing fully well that if he bucked his hips lance would choke, despite never having done this before but it was so hard  _ not to _ . Lance’s mouth was warm, not just warm but hot, a hot that set his body on fire and made his senses burn with arousal. The wetness around him was unexpectedly good, everything about it, the way it coated him and the way it felt almost heavy on him, weight pulling down on him in a way he’d never get used to. Then he started using his tongue, and everything exploded from his mouth to his mind. 

“ _ Fuck!  _ Lance-  _ Oh my god!”  _

He started clenching and unclenching the bedsheets, his hands sweating around the material. Everything felt so good, it was way more than he’d ever experienced in his life and he was barely sure he could take it. Lance’s tongue began to dance around the enhanced head, like somehow they both knew nothing bad was going to happen, even with his alien DNA. Lance looked at Keith through his eyelashes, watching his eyes close and his hands fist up, he watched the way his stomach clenched and his hips twitched. He could tell Keith wanted to buck up into him, making Lance only want to take him in further. He opened his mouth as wide as he could around the length in his mouth, and trying his best not to gag, he lowered his mouth further down it, taking almost all of it in. He swallowed around it, but found that to be a mistake quickly afterwards. His throat burned and spasmed around Keith, trying to push the foreign object back up and out of his mouth. Tears stung Lance’s eyes when he gagged, his fingers wrapping around Keith’s thighs so hard he knew they were going to leave marks, but at the moment he didn’t care. He could feel a coughing fit growing at the base of his throat but Keith had snaked an arm around Lance’s neck with his hand travelling up and into his hair, gripping it in fistfuls of brown, keeping Lance firmly in place. He felt his arms push Keith’s legs away further, trying to tell him to let go, but all he got was a groan in response. Keith was  _ enjoying _ this without even realising Lance needed it to  _ stop.  _ Lance closed his eyes tightly and closed his mouth around Keith,  _ hard _ .    
  
His teeth sunk into the soft flesh of his cock, barely enough to cause any pain, right at the knot at the base but it got Keith to do  _ something _ . Though it wasn’t as expected. Keith  _ mewled _ under him and all at once Lance felt something hot and thick fly down his throat, forcing him to swallow. Lance was almost too astonished to remember he couldn’t breathe, taking a moment after Keith let go to understand what just happened. Only a second though, before he lifted his head up, sputtering and coughing up air and saliva. He wiped his mouth on his sleeve, only now realizing he had never taken off his shirt, breathing heavily on the floor. His throat and face were burning together, dull beams of heat running up and down his body making him want to lay on the cold floor and do absolutely nothing but his eyes drew to Keith anyway.

He looked  _ destroyed _ from his messed up hair to his tousled purple fur, that was starting to go back to normal, along with his alien dick that was starting to retract into itself. His mouth was open and he was shaking from head to toe, his fists still gripping at the bed sheets. His eyes were slightly closed and staring right back at Lance who’s heart was beating out of his chest. He smiled lazily at him, his two sharper teeth becoming visibly less-sharp.

“That was the best thing I’ve ever felt.” It came out slurred, but happy, and breathless in a way that made Lance beam at him.

“Glad I could be of service.” Lance smacked his lips together, surprising himself with the taste lingering in his mouth. It tasted almost like chocolate, but different. Like someone had added a fruit to it or something, but it wasn’t a fruit he’d tasted before, it just seemed like it would be a fruit. He licked his lips in an attempt to savor some of the flavor the thought only just according to him that maybe Keith had alien come. He licked his lips one last time, “Dude I think your jizz is flavored.”

Keith only hummed back, making Lance chuckle. He’d smile at him, adding to his crowding mental list to bring it up later, ‘cause there was no way he was awake enough to have a conversation now. Keith rolled over on the bed, extending his arms over the side and out to Lance, who jumped onto his other side, rolling him over. They pulled each other in, legs tangling together, only bothering with the sheets at their feet to kick them off the bed completely. He felt Keith bury his face in his neck smiling warmly at the feel of him in his arms, burying his own face in Keith’s hair in turn.

It’s been too long since someone’s been there. Finally,  _ Finally _ , was someone their to fill the empty space, and there was no way he was letting them leave again.

~~~   
  


Percy stood in front of Jason, face hard and set, eyebrows creased and hands crossed in front of his chest. Jason stood in a similar position with his arms at his sides, standing so stiffly you’d think he was a statue. Jason let out a sigh, huffing heavily into the cold morning air that surrounded them. The sun wasn’t even up yet, the slight gold in the distance indicating they had very little time until the Apollo kids would swarm the beach around them. He could see the sky lighting up behind Percy who looked way too determined in front of the sunrise.

“You’re making a mistake.” Percy grit out, hands tightening around themselves so hard it almost looked painful. Jason let out another side.

“How so?” Percy growled at him, but let his arms fall.

“We  _ need  _ her, don’t you understand how useful she is in battle?! She single handedly took out half a battalion during capture the flag, and that was a  _ fucking game _ ! Imagine what she could do to  _ them. _ ” He flung his hands in the air, teeth clenched.

“You don’t think I don’t know that? If we put her in battle she could die-” Percy cut him off with a yell,

“She’s more than willing to die!”

“But we need her alive!” Jason ran his fingers through his hair quickly pulling it back, letting the cold hair hit his face in an attempt to cool his temper. “She’s the only one who can tap into their Demon-” he held up his hand to cut off Percy’s attempt at debate, “-She’s the only one who can be certain where they’re going to strike next, and right now that’s more useful than she’ll ever be in a fight.” Jason could see the anger in Percy’s face fade away, giving way to the sadness that peaked at his features. “I understand, but she has living records of every single event that’s happened- she’s able to look back and improve- she’s able to understand mistakes before they even happen. She has two goddesses  _ in her head _ ,  _ they are with her every step of the way _ , but will they stay in battle? Maybe, but they will advise us when she’s not.”

“What about Annabeth, huh? You’re letting her risk her god and goddess, aren’t they just as important?” Jason nodded, but continued.

“Annabeth doesn’t have a connection to the Demon helping Rome like she does.”

Percy groaned, but he knew Jason was right. There was just too much at risk to put her in a fight, but they were losing _so_ _many lives_. They were being downright _demolished_ left and right, everything they tried; Failed. So many brave lives fighting; Lost. If she was there, if she was could stand by Percy’s side and fight, none of them would stand a chance, and they could get Rome back but one, _just one_ , fatal blow they lose everything. It was too risky for him, for them, they wouldn’t let her to fight.

Even though she wants to.

He groaned outwardly, Percy's hands raking through his own hair much like Jason earlier. He struggled to finds words, all of them washing out of his mind like a waterfall. He whined and switched to Greek.

“ _ Why does she have to be like this?” _ He sounded hysterical with his voice inching higher with every word. Jason didn't miss the accent in his voice, noting his language change. He didn't understand, he still doesn't understand, how Greek and Latin was so easy for them. Even the ones who didn't know their heritage and had been speaking something entirely different their entire lives, Greek or Latin seemed to come easier like English was the secondary language. 

Despite being Roman he switched to Greek as well, Percy seemed on the verge of breaking down and Jason didn't want to stir the pot by using tongues unfamiliar to Percy.

“ _ What do you mean?”  _

“ _ So… sweetly reckless.” _ He responded with lack of better words, but Jason knew what he meant.

The way she fought was much like every other demigod, with quick movements and powerful strikes all while keeping themselves firm and balanced. The only difference was she fought with everyone on her mind, against every god and goddesses’ values. Sure Athena kids planned for everyone, but if they can't save everyone… they won't. They play logically and if the best outcome costs a few lives, then so what? Ares kids only cared about themselves. They fought with fire, war was a ruthless game they loved to play. It was especially abnormal for a Hades kid though, who's power feeds of the destruction of others. If someone died her power would increase tenfold, along with the addition of another body to her army, only making it more the strange that she tries to keep people alive. She was a skilled fighter, never touched never bothered, winning almost every one-on-one sparring session- except for maybe against Jason, Percy, or Nico… possibly even Annabeth, but she didn't fight them that often - making her seem more like a ghost than a human, her swift movements and stealth like a shadow making her impossible to touch.

But she'd give it all up if someone needed a life to live off. She'd jump off a cliff if someone needed her to, she'd become a target for an arrow of it meant it wasn't someone else, in an instant she'd give it all up so someone could take it right back. She was too important to have that kind of attitude, it wasn't a bad quality to have, selflessness and bravery, but she would save  _ so many more _ lives if she'd continue to  _ live _ . If only she saw it that way. In her eyes she was useless, she had no worth, the only she was was worth was  _ death _ … even trying to force it upon herself. Nobody can blame her though, saying her life was rough would be an understatement- much like Nico’s -but it would never be worth taking her own life for it. She was so important to so many people, but she was let down by too many people to take another chance.

“ _ Can we at least give her a chance to prove herself?”  _ Jason huffed out a breath, he almost seemed pained by the way his face was contorted before answering,    
“ _ Yes.”  _ He watched Percy’s face light up, grinning from ear to ear before watching it fall in a matter of seconds.

“ _ What’s the catch?”  _ He crossed his arms, sticking his lip out slightly. Jason shook his head grabbing at the sweater around his arms. He took a step forward and put his hand on Percy’s shoulder, who sucked in a breath and involuntarily stepped back a little.

“ _ You’re not going to like it.”  _ Jason squeezed his shoulder slightly, feeling him flinch under his cold fingertips _. “There’s something Asher and I need to know, and if she’s willing to give it up, I’ll let her fight.”  _ He spoke with sadness creeping into his features, his voice low and shaky. He didn’t want to steal her past from her, but in one of those books she had hidden away in her closest is something that could help the two boys more than she understands. He didn’t want her to have to choose between her life and a book, hoping she’d choose not to give it to them, but Asher would. As long as he was getting something out of it, she could kill herself.

“What…” He spoke in English again, letting his sentence falter off at the sound of rushed screams of joy heading towards the beach they were standing on. He gave Jason a dirty look, rolling his eyes and turning away from the blonde who watched him expertly run off the sand, barely kicking up any in his wake. Jason let his arms fall to his sides, kicking at the ground and ignoring the uncomfortable feel of sand surrounding his legs. He groaned one last time, turning his head to the Hades cabin that was resting right on the edge of the beach, the black walls coated with something that made it shiny a dull purple in the rising sun. It really did look beautiful of you could look at it with the right perspective.

“I really am sorry, Grace, I hope you can forgive me.” He spoke in a rushed whisper to himself before walking to the Poseidon cabin, knowing Percy would have gone somewhere else to cool of,  where Asher was probably still asleep, but they had planning to do.

~~~

Allura sighed and shifted down the panel. She brought her head to her hands and rested it in them, taking a deep breath. A head splitting pain shot through her skull, everything shaking when she let out a chilled gasp. In an instant the Paladins in the room rushed over to her, a blur of black, yellow, and green surrounding her making her all the more dizzy. She smiled through the pain, her warm skin paling slightly and sweat beading around her face.

“I’m fine- Paladins, don’t worry about me- just  _ AH,  _ make sure we stay on route.” She ground out through clenched teeth.

They had just made a gruellingly long jump, trying to get as close to earth as they could before Allura couldn’t take anymore. They were still quite a ways aways but the journey would be nothing compared to how long it would have taken if Allura couldn’t jump. Pidge was first to ignore Allura’s mild gasps of pain, sitting down in her chair like absolutely nothing was happening. “We still have a long way before we reach earth, but we’re going the right way.” She watched the rest of the trudge to their own seat, all checking the vitals they’re accounted for. 

Allura grabbed the side of her own console, despite the protests she heard from Shiro, she pulled herself up. She couldn’t feel herself stumble when she stood, but she could feel the pain blare through her systems like a red light, ignoring it she pulled up her own screen. Everything around them seemed fine, according the their radar, scoring through the solar systems like a game. Finally she came across Earth, only something else was there. She watched with growing fear at the glowing red light, the huge glowing red dot, almost large enough to cover Earth.

The Galra were already there.


	7. Thank you!!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone. I love you all.

This is the first work I have ever written, and I had been going through a tough time, and you guys have really made it better. I appreciate all the Kudos I've gotten, and have made it to past 1,000 views!!

I just wanted to say thank you to everyone single one of you for your support on this story.

I also want to give a special shout-out to Eri_senpai, who was my first ever comment and bookmark, who really gave me the motivation to continue.

I love every single one of you, and have a very happy New Year!!


	8. Diana

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is only the demigods

The raw horror of it all was almost enough. Armoured bodies clamoured against each other, swords slashing and weapons baring against each other in a ruthless battle of celestial bronze and iron. Screams filled the air, surrounding the sounds of battle, pain being the number one factor. It seemed almost useless at this point, the celestial bronze wasn’t even leaving scratches on the purple beasts, the only people being able to inflict any damage were the two children of Hades. Their Stygian Iron swords weren’t made to only inflict damage on monsters, or other demigods and could even hurt humans if they wanted to, easily slicing through the thick fur of the purple _things_.

Demigods scrambled around the camp, trying to find suitable weapons for the beast, while trying to keep the two demigods with weapons safe. Percy and Jason were first to heed Annabeth’s orders, grabbing circular shields, to push and shove against them. If they couldn’t kill them, they could at least try to slow them down. Grace and Nico had shields as well, moving closer to Percy and Jason, they made a bubble of metal, protecting the fighters as best they could.

More purple beast filtered through the barrier, confusion mixing with the general fear of the infiltration. Only demigods and gods could get through the barrier, only raising more questions of what these beasts were. The fighters geared up, decided to just stick with shields and fight rather than to lose more lives while they tried to find weapons, anybody else trying to figure out what they were and how to stop them. Arrows from the Apollo kids flew overhead, doing nothing more than angering the beasts retaliating with violent slashes through the skin. Grace was particularly targeted, though no one could tell her why, her movements becoming erratic with each thrust of her dagger. The beasts all seemed to know she was different, they all seemed ready to die to get her with them. Annabeth was - of course - first to notice this, seeing the way they fought without the intent to kill, or the way every demigod that jumped in front of them seemed like a second priority compared to where there line of vision was. It was first to click to her too.

Beasts, monsters, demons, they could only enter camp one way; if a demigod summoned them. Despite being at war with the romans, they were still demigods and could still get into camp. Annabeth’s eyes went wide in realization, closing in on the group of shields in the center of the battlefield, all surrounding the girl she sought to see. Octavian knew. There was no doubt about it, Octavian knew about her connection to _their demon_. He knew she could see her and feel her, think her thoughts, see what she sees. Now he’s trying to get her back on his side.

_But what were these things?_

They were something way different, something not entirely Greek. The almost seemed extra terrestrial, the way they walked like they weren’t used to gravity, or the way they fought like they could jump a mile with one hop. Annabeth looked away from her place in her book, about Greek monsters, and the the top of the hill. If she was able to get up their somehow, she’d be able to see everything, mostly she’d be able to see where they were coming from. From her window she could see the way they flowed in one direction like ants, whether it was to capture the girl or because they were all filtering from the same place, she wasn’t sure. She passed a tissue in her book, closing her place in it before standing up in her empty cabin. She looked at the door, grazing over to it slowly, each step seeming to go by way to fast. She didn’t want to fight, she didn’t want to hurt anyone in the way she had before.

She was a skilled fighter, anyone denying would be lying, but she had gods like Grace. Before Hermera and Apollo chose her, she was a daughter of Athena, she was able to fight with a dagger and could strategically think things through. Then they came, showed her what she could do, who she could help, and what she could be if she helped them so of course she accepted. With the gods at her side she was able to do things she’d never been able to do before, like create light in her palm and morph it into a weapon, or living through someone else’s memories. She’s never had a power before. Unlike when Grace got her knew skills, she already had some, she knew how to keep her emotions in check or risk splitting the ground. She knew how to control the amount she put forth and the about of energy it took. She was already three steps ahead of Annabeth when it came to mastering the Night. Annabeth on the other hand had no idea the correlation, the way laughing might blind the people around you, or the way crying might dim the sunlight. She didn’t know using it for something small would drain her so thoroughly she wasn’t able to survive the rest of the day without being knocked out at the smallest hints of sleep she could catch. She was never prepared for what happened when she got mad. The way her hands shimmered against her fists and the way the tattoo on her back glowed a hot anger red against her suntanned skin. How far back Clarisse flew. How hard she hit the side of the cabin. The blood. _So much blood._

She hasn’t touched a weapon since. She wasn’t even sure if she could force herself to do it.

_But they’re the enemy!_ She tried to reason with herself, her hand shaking against the doorknob, turning it. _Stay with me Hermera, Apollo. Please?_ Then she took off.

Her feet seemed to run faster than she remembered, everything around her blurring in giant blobs of purple and blacks, her feet weren’t even visible when she moved forward. The pressure of the wind blowing against her seemed much worse, the pressure alone almost knocking her down, pulling at her clothes and ponytail like a parachute. She knew it was Hermera and Apollo speeding up her movements, but she didn’t have a breath left to thank them with. The air was sucked out of her lungs the moment she started moving, but she couldn’t bring herself to stop until she felt the upward calling of the mountain. The incline of the hill didn’t flater her speed, along making her go faster to stay the same, finally stopping when she reached the top though she wasn’t sure if it was her stopping or the god/goddesses in her head. There was no way to prepare herself for what she saw.

They were everywhere, surrounding people to buildings to the forest, so many of them it was terrifying looking at them from above it all. She watched them all struggle towards the middle, like a tornado, coming from every different direction but all heading to the same place. She looked down, the only thing she was able to see was purple fur mixed with the occasional glimpse of skin, all of the purple beasts tails flicking wildly with thier cats years. Annabeth was almost fascinated behind the fear at how cat-like they were, despite their use of high tech weapons. She watched in horror from her hidden place on the mountain at the way they were skilled with guns _and_ swords, bringing an intense variety of battles they weren’t trained to deal with. She watched them raise their swords, tears pricking her eyes, a shout on the tips of her lips, but she was beat to it. She covered her mouth with her hand, forcing herself to keep the shout in no matter how much she wanted people to hear it.

A thick red puddle formed under Grace’s feet, screams shattering around her like the gun shots not to far from her head, but somehow she was the loudest. Her shriek was so loud it almost caused a silence, the shields behind her enveloping her as she fell to her knees, coddling the dead body infront of her. Phillip’s pale body, covered in blood and cuts, freezing to the touch lay in her arms. She let out another yell, but this time a name. Annabeth’s name could be heard through the clashing of metal and the pounds of guns being blown off, though it wasn’t a shout of anger or sadness or fear, but as an order.

Annabeth’s and Grace had their own separate powers, of course, but they weren’t very effective… or at least shouldn’t be very effective. They were made to share power, to rule wisely over their kingdom with both sides of the story putting in their input. They were made to work as a team, and so were their powers. Grace looked down at the orb that had appeared in front of her in an instant. It was a light yellow, floating in front of her eyes and almost the size of one, beating like a heart with every pulse around her. Annabeth could create shields the size of an eye to the size of a head without any assistance, Grace couldn’t _create_ them but she could _manipulate_ shields that are already there. She could make them as large as she wanted (With the energy that she had) even learning how to ifusing something in them, like making them poisonous to the touch or so that they could grow without affecting certain things or people. It was one of their shared powers. The four boys around Grace watched her with cold stares that almost seemed fearful, bracing themselves for what she was about to do.

She touched the orb delicately, placing her finger through it as if it was a bubble that wouldn’t pop, power scorching through her. But this time she didn’t care what happened to the things around her. Right now she couldn’t focus on anything other than the death of Phillip, anything other than that it was their fault he was dead, and they were paying for it. The orb turned a dark blue, the color of the sky during the last remnants of a sunset, not focusing to hard on anything she let it change to black. All fighting around her stopped with the bubble engulfed her, flames danced around it like broken obsidian coating the blackness of the shield. The clanging of metal stopped, only screams of pain, sadness, and anger cutting through the silence like their own kind of knife.

Shock. Silent shock crowded the empty space between bodies, fear coiled around the hearts of the Demigods, as rage filled the purple beasts. Annabeth watched with tears in her eyes from above the mountain. Then it kept growing, the black fire spreading like the black plague, reaching the first beast. The bubble engulfed it as well, but not in the same way as the girl, fire wrapping around him with a scream of his own. The small seconds of silence were broken by the chaotic pain like a wildfire, jumping from beast to beast. They're screams were like nothing they've ever heard before, low pitches turning to growls that sounds scratched up and tortured like they'd be electrocuted, bodies burning and running from place to place. Even Demigods tried running from the fire, taking refuge in the cabins, some people forcing Asher and Percy to let them breathe underwater, anything to get away from the demon using black magic. Between the running and screaming the bubble got bigger, pushing past the body on the ground as well as the girl inside, until finally it reached Nico.

Nico never had been afraid of her powers, not even now, always able to put himself in front of them without fear. He was a lot like is Half-Sister, with almost little care for his life it made him open to experiment on himself or put himself in danger. It wasn’t really that he cared for others, not that he didn’t, he just didn’t care about himself. He reached into the bubble, all dangers forgotten, his hand disappearing but not catching fire. The shield ate up his arm, the fire coating his arm without consequence traveling and enlarging over his body to swallow him whole, not moving until he was finally in the dark bubble with the two bodies, ignoring the screams coming from Percy and Jason. Everything inside was black, he could feel the energy though, the energy of the girl and the energy of the dome around him… the different kind of energy being put off by the dead one.

He always found ghosts special, different in a way, than what you’d expect. They always looked different right after death like somehow in the seconds it takes the spirit the free itself it changes way too much to be something good. They lived through the horrors of death, but that was something short lived and over with, ghosts looked shaken, always, but death wasn’t something that could do that to it. It was fast, it was over, it wasn’t something to be worried about when it was over, so they were scared of something completely different. Something he didn’t understand. Not yet. When the pale blue glow of the small boy shimmered around the air, Nico was fearful of why. Demigods could see ghosts, along with the few select humans, and when ghosts died they would present themselves to _one_ demigod. Only one could see them which only made it worse for Nico when Phillips shape lingered over his body, clearly visible in the blackness of the dome, soft blues and whites wrapping around him like silk scarves. The glow illuminated his sister, her face - unknowingly to her - shimmering with tears against the pale light, her eyes broken and pleading with the bloody shape on the red stained grass. The same silver crown that rested between the brows of his twin sister rested in the same spot as him, the silver swirls surrounding his forehead covered in blood and dirt, making the flawless pattern look tainted with ware. The gem laying in the center of the crown that was normally lit with power was growing dimmer with each passing second, wails being let out of the girl.

“Bare up my lullaby whims of the earth, through cloud and through sky and through space-” Her voice cracked through her soft singing, the notes faltering off then on again, Nico watching the ghost kneal next to her and rest his head on her shoulder, “Carry the peace and the coolness of Night! And carry my sorrow in kind… Phillip your loved so much more than you know, may troubles be far from you mind… and forgive me for being so blind.” She moaned out his name, agony evident on her face though she couldn’t tell. Music filled the small space, within the time Nico’s been there he just noticed it was completely silent until then, her song wafting through the air. She was pulling a song into the air, to wrap the memory in something physical so she could keep it. That was one power she had along with many other demigods. He watching the ghosts face turn to him, the crying girl still visible through his head, his voice just as Nico remembered it.

“Take care of her?” He’d never understand why, but those words pushed emotions he’d never show to the surface, tears welling up in his eyes and spilling out. His voice was harsh and coarse with the knew wetness traveling down his face.

“Of course.”

“My sister? Promise?” The ghost looked so innocent, so pure and heartbroken at the same time it was hard to stable himself.

“I promise, I always have.” He stood up from his spot next to the girl and stood over his body, walking like he was still alive. Nico wiped his eyes and sat next to his sister when the music got louder. Wrapping an arm around her, he heard her sniffle and wipe her own face.

“My all your dreams be sweet tonight~ safe upon your bed of moonlight… and know not of sadness, pain… or care~ and when I dream I’ll fly away and meet you there.” Nico watches with sad horror, the girl sinking down to the body. “Sleep.” The boy layed a little lower with each word, “Sleep.” Grace had sunk down to his forehead, her lips right above the center gem, hovering over it while her last drawn out word was sung, “Sleep~” Then her lips connected to it, just as the boy laid back in his body. The blinding white light that followed was just as surprising to Grace as it was for Nico, eyes shut at the excursion, colors filtering through the gem in the center. Both of their shut eyes did nothing against the sun-like presence around them, white seeping through their closed eyelids. Then it was gone, just like that, gone. The shield was gone, the black inky suspense of their vision had been broadened to the pure _destruction_ of what was left.

Only demigods stood before them, bodies unscahted except for cuts from the beasts, some crawling out of their hiding places. The sound of water drew their attention, bodies pouring out of the moving waves as well as coming out of buildings and from behind walls. She looked at her feet, at of shame or anger or sadness maybe all of them, deciding that was a mistake shortly after doing it but she couldn’t bring herself to look up again. She forced the dead body of her ‘brother’ out of her mind, focusing on the darkly tinted grass under her feet, ashes surrounding everything. Nothing except for the destroyed camp showed anything of the beasts that were there before. She took one last looked around, exhaustion sinking into her bones like a wet rag weighing her down. She felt her body slump against Nico but she couldn’t bring herself to do anything about it, She saw Annabeth running over with a quickly blackening vision, Jason sprinting over to grab her fallen body. Somewhere in the distance, it might have even been right next to her, she heard a terrible screaming knowing full well it came from Clare, Phillip’s twin sister. She wanted to stay, to hold the yelling girl, to scream at everyone to stop touching her and stop helping her but she couldn’t. Her mouth wouldn’t move and her eyes wouldn’t stay open, only vaguely aware of the arms under her legs and wrapped around her torso. But she didn’t sleep. She refused to let sleep overcome her, not after so many times of being pushed around and knocked out by her magic, this time she was in control. She wearily watched the infirmary doors get closer to her face, until suddenly they were right there, her mind lagging as an old computer.

She stayed awake when she was placed in one of the open beds in the main room, beds going on in each direction next to her and in the line across from her. The white that surrounded her made her want to squeeze her eyes shut and never open them again, but she wasn’t giving in. She briefly remembers hands checking her, feeling up for scratches and cuts, faltering when they ran up her stomach. They lingered there for a while, feeling up the three stars lined up in diagonal slashes across her stomach, touching the white skin. When they finally moved away she let out a deep breath, more like a wheeze, letting them check her blood pressure and breathing before something was brought to her lips. She drank the liquid eagerly though she couldn’t taste anything, at the moment it was the best thing she’d ever had. Slowly she felt her senses come back, her sight getting a little better, the ringing in her ears turning into murmuring voices, and the bitter taste she knew to be unicorn draught lingering on her tongue. She felt her body breathe easier with simple breaths that came and went easily, flexing her fingers down at her sides.

She wanted to scream at how helpless she was, she wanted to cry because he was dead, and she wanted to laugh at everything. She felt hysteric giggles bubbling at her throat along with the urge to cry, _He was dead! He was dead, of course the world would kill him._ She felt the tears falling without the strength to stop them, letting them fall above her cheekbones from laying down. Phillip gave her a purpose in this life, he was the reason she needed to stay alive, at the orphanage there was no way he would have been able to make it on his own and that was what kept her there. At that orphanage, where her brother was _murdered_ in front of her, she wanted to kill herself too but he needed her and in a way she needed him. He kept her alive by needing her, but now nobody needed her and her purpose was dead.

That was until she walked in.

His twin, his sister, his purpose, _her purpose_ , her everything left. She whined when her face came into view, her blonde brown ombre hair swinging down by her hips and traveling up her fit form. The twelve year old’s face was just as tear streaked as her own, lips quivering with the attempt to hold them back, a wail sailing past her lips after taking one look at the girl in the bed. Grace tried to tell her she was okay but that was hard to do when she wasn’t, her lips not allowing her to speak but staying closed and only letting out pained moans. She could move her fingers though, she could barely move her arms but she still could, moving them to lay on her chest. She weakly moved them, to form symbols of a sort, to speak the language of her brother.

_I’m sorry. So so sorry._ She watched the girl shake her head, her fingers moving almost to fast for her fogged mind to read.

_Not fault_ was all she was able to get but she knew what she said. Clare wiped her tear streaked face when the doctor came over to talk to her, sniffing away her sadness. Grace could barely hear what they were saying, her eyelids drooping and her body slumping against the sheets of the bed, fighting the oncoming tiredness. She couldn’t read their lips well enough to see what they were saying, moving to fast and to similarly for each word, letting her eyes fall instead. She saw the hand that had fallen off her chest and hanging over the bed, bandages covering the purple and black marks on her arm, knowing full well they would take them off. But they were in a public room and anyone could see them, it was a too sensitive topic for her to have to live through for everyone who asks or for them to even _ask in the first place_ , she couldn’t have them taken off in here around everyone. Around people she didn’t know was even worse, the only doctor she actually trusted was Will and even then she still doesn’t let him under the bandages, he just trusts that _Nico’s_ telling the truth when he says she’s not hurt under there. Even when she told them about the marks, he didn’t see them and she wasn’t ready to show them, to make her more of an outcast than before. She let out a strangled, whispered, whine hoping it was loud enough for Clare to hear, almost crying in relief when it was. She began furiously signing letters in the hand hanging off the bed, repeating the four letters as fast as she could like she only a few seconds left.

_N… I… C… O._ Clare met her gaze, traveling down her arm to her hand, _N… I… C… O._ Reading the letters as fast as she could, _N. I. C. O, NICO… Nico._ Clare spelt out the the name to Grace, getting a confirming bob of the head, and asking a doctor to retrieve him. When he arrived he looked absolutely freaked out, his hair was windblown and his face was red, rushing right to her side.

“ _Grace! Are you okay?”_ He spoke in Italian, like most times when he was scared he switched, unknowingly. She knew a few words and understood that sentence, but if he kept talking like that she wouldn’t. She let out a whine, trying to calm him down with her voice, forgetting she couldn’t really talk. She felt tears of frustration wet her cheeks, Nico wiping them away hastily, switching back to sign language. Normally something like that wouldn’t anger her so much but she was just so _helpless_ then, it might have been from the sadness of the moment, but not being able to talk ticked her of the edge. When he saw her hand he groaned, pulling Clare next to him, yelling at her.

“What’s she saying?!” He pointed to her hand, ignoring the way the girl he yelled at looked close to tears herself. “ _What’s she saying?!_ ”

“ _I’m sorry!_ So-something about- uh! Bandages? _Bandages!_ And- uh -marks? Marks- her wrist-” Nico let out a relieved breath, holding his hand at her. He put it in her shoulder, speaking softly to her, Grace watched her smile from the bed. He’s probably apologizing, Clare’s eyes looking happier than that had all day, still intense and sad, but happier. She smiled at her when she walked out, their gazes lingering in a silent conversation, _We’ll talk later._

Nico gave her a warm smile when her eyes flipped back to him. “I’ll go get Will.” He patted her hand one more time, the stood up, walking away from her bed. She let her eyes fall, dozing off.

_That wasn’t a good idea Diana._ Grace groaned, wishing her body wouldn’t ache against curling into a ball. Artemis only called her Diana when she was really in trouble. Diana was the name of her Roman counterpart, it also meant ‘Divine’ or ‘Heavenly’ which is why they used it for her. Sometimes they called her Luna because she was hispanic and it was part of her culture, but it all depended on their mood, and right now they sounded pissed. _Why would you do something like that?! Not only to those things but to your own army?!_ Nyx screamed in her head, her voice pounding on the sides of her skull like she was physically beating her mind. _Now they will fear you, maybe use you, but you will never be an equal now._ Her lip started quivering, she didn’t want to _kill them all_ , _But she did._ It was like her emotions started impersonating her, taking control of her, and _killing_.

_I’ll find a way to fix it._

_I don’t think you understand-_

Grace cut off the rant, Will walking over besides Nico holding hands, his fingers also wrapped around a large syringe along with other medical supplies. She stiffened at the garment he held in his hand knowing it meant she would have to change, or even worse someone would have to change her. Her eyes went wide, about to starting signing again, but she stopped at a laugh. He threw the garment at someone on the bed next to her, realising people were in here with her for the first time, sighing. He walked closer to the bed and she realised he was arguing with Nico, both faces annoyed at the other and red with anger, but they weren’t taking out as hard as they would if they weren’t dating. She heard him let out a particularly loud groan before grabbing Nico’s wrist and pulling. He lead him to her bed, and stopped right next to her face, pushing it to the side so she couldn’t see them.

“Look at her Nico. Don’t you understand?!” He whisper shouted at him, closing the curtains around her bed. “Look at her skin Nico…” Grace would’ve cocked an eyebrow if she could, moving her gaze to the arm hanging off the bed in front of her. White lines, almost looking like scars but with no texture, just lines scoring up her arm at angles, making it looked like a lightning bolt was tattooed to her skin. “Nico she shouldn’t have be-”

“No, I don’t believe you… how could I? I watched her, I was there with her, I-I…” His voice cracked and Grace could tell he was struggling. She wanted so bad to turn her head, to be able to see him, and touch him and be able to hold him, but she couldn’t move.

_Diana. This is serious, you can’t keep blocking us out. It’s not good for us and it’s not good for you._ She wanted to scream, she just wanted to know why everything was so serious, sure she power surged an entire army but shouldn’t that be expected? She has goddesses in her head, why would it be a surprise?

She jumped when the cold sensation reached her skin, shivering she tried turning her head, to not avail. She felt it traveling up her arm then to her face, tracing her cheekbones, when she realized it was Nico’s finger. She hadn’t realized they were so cold before, or she only noticed how cold her own were. He kept tracing lines around her face and she could only guess that the same white marks on her arm lined her face. It wasn’t that prominent though, even if it was supposed to be bright against her skin, she was pale and it was a very close shade to her skin.

_Diana!_

“Nico.”

_You shouldn’t have been able to control a power that strong._  
“She should have _shattered_ with the amount of force she was controlling.”


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is a small part chapter that I already had written, I will get back into it, I just need some time. THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR SUPPORT!!

Lance looked himself up and down the mirror, turning his back to it but keeping his head facing forward. White marks ran up and down his back in no particular pattern, jagged and zigzagging like lightning bolts, all coming to center in a circle on his back. There was a ring of untouched skin where the white stripes meet corner to corner, in a perfect cirl that branched out from his shoulder blades. It almost looked like he was shot there, a similar pattern etching through the front of his skin in the center of his chest, the ring of lighting reaching over his arms and face as well. The marks weren’t as prominent on his face, only a single stripe starting at the top of his neck, another mark branching of around his neck, reaching up to cross over his eye and eyelid like a scar. He looked down at his legs, boxers being the only obstruction, the white lines continuing down his legs and to his feet.

 

He held his arm up and ran his fingers over the marks, there was something about them, making him feel calm when he probably should have been worried about the sudden intrusion. His jaded eyes scoped over his body on last time, a weird sense of ease pulling at him even more so than without the marks. He knew he should tell the rest of them, or at least Keith, but something deep in his head was telling him to keep it a secret, to not let them see. He also found it vaguely strange that the voice sounded feminine and bold, like nothing he’d heard before or be able to think up himself. He pulled on the rest of his clothes, thankful for the long sleeves of his jacket and worn out jeans that covered most of his body. He was also thankful for the Altean's that built this ship. He found out a while ago that the ship was able to make custom blends of oils and lotions, that seemed at least vaguely human, and could even shape a sort of makeup that matches skin tones. He’d asked about it for his skin care routine and just started exploring a little more, finding more and more beauty supplies in the ship than he’d find in a makeup store.

 

He placed his hand on the mirror, letting it measure around the length of his fingers and in between the spaces, registering his heart rate and thoughts flowing through his body. A blue grid was glowing underneath his fingers on the mirror, like the control panels in the Bridge, the always empty bowl sitting near the sink filling from the bottom up with a brown liquid. Lance dipped two fingers in the bowl the paint-like consistency sticking to his finger like honey. He hesitantly put it on his cheek, smearing it over the white mark that covered his eye, drying immediately but feeling heavy, much like pouring honey on your face. It felt weird but eventually he got used to it and was confident it wasn’t spilling down his cheeks, running the stuff down the marks around his neck before letting it drain from the bowl using the mirror controls.

 

He left the bathroom in a hurry, hoping his absence wasn’t noticed, rushing through the opening door and to the training room. He was surprised to see Keith in there before him, dressed and looking better than he had in awhile brightening up when he saw Lance then deflating again. Allura chatted about something, faltering off the closer Lance got to the group. He scoffed in mock offense, motioning for her to continue or start over.

 

“We need to be ready,” She side eyed Lance “For a diplomatic meeting with the  _ demigods _ of Earth.” Silence. Then a sigh. From Lance.

 

“I don’t have the energy to fight against this right now, so continue.” Allura gaped at him for a solid minute before actually continuing.

 

“As… most of you know, the Galra have already reached Earth and we are one day away.” A beat passed. “The demigods need us because Earth has never faced a threat like this, and they have never had to deal with them before and they are exactly whom the Galra are targeting. Not only that, but we need to get them before the Galra do.”

 

Lance felt like crying, he really did, but for some reason he couldn’t find the energy. He couldn’t seem to be mad at her or depressed by the way the universe works, or even just happy to go home. He couldn’t feel anything except for his mind trying to work through all his thoughts without any corresponding emotions. He just couldn’t seem to grasp onto anything emotionally, he couldn’t even be aggravated about it when he felt he should have been. 

 

“So you see them as a weapon.” Was the only thing he could bring himself to say, still completely monotone. She looked a little taken aback, but considering, a retort dying on her lips. She wanted to tell Lance he was wrong, of course she didn’t see them as a weapon because who would, but he did have a point. 

 

“The Galra are trying to get these creatures to fight, and we are trying to keep them away from the Galra,  _ but _ if the Galra wanted them so bad they’d probably be able to handle themselves. The fact that  _ you _ think we need them as well puts you in the same spot as the Galra.” Lance had never seen so many stunned eyes facing him. He still couldn’t seem to care. “And at that, once you think about it, why do you think the Galra have never colonized there before? Maybe because Earth held a worthy opponent and the Galra decided it wasn’t worth it, then what? You take their only form of defense and give the Galra a chance to take our planet?” He motioned to the Paladins surrounding him, ignoring their baffled looks - especially Pidge’s. “Whatever you’re planning better be good enough to work, because if it’s not and you lose my planet to them…” He trailed off at that, not wanting to finish his sentence but wanting them to know where it was going.

 

“That’s what we’re here to talk about, but you have brought up some reasonable points that we cannot ignore.” Allura sounded winded, so blown away, it was almost amusing. “Uh- Once we get there, you’re-” Lance rolled his eyes and stood from his place on the floor.

 

“ _ I’m _ not going to be bait. If you want to find them,  _ do it yourself. _ ” Lance scoffed, walking to the door and ignoring the looks he got.

 

Once he was out of the room he felt the first emotion he’s had all day; anger. He clenched his fists, walking to the kitchen shaking, everything filling his head. He’d already told them he didn’t want to start up his life drama again, Allura knows at least, he wasn’t going to light the fire so they can blame him when everything burns down. He knows,  _ he fucking knows,  _ how this will turn out but they won’t or don’t want to, listen to him. He slams his fist down on the kitchen counter when he gets there, agner turning to tears in an instant.  _ Why _ did his life have to turn around so fast, it went from bad to amazing to worse, everything was going  _ so well _ and he was so happy he was apart of something but now he wanted nothing more then to stop being part of it. He opened the refrigerator pidge had managed to build when she got the right materials to store the pouches of water. He was the first to find out that the one closer to the top would freeze into a slushie type texture, still able to get out of the straw, but not as a liquid.

 

He had a habit of drinking the frozen water when he was angry or upset, aftering doing it for years back at home. It even started with Grace, the fucking girl who was ruining everything by being who she was, when she was being bullied. Lance was always really skinny for his age, and being a boy, getting picked on all the time as well, so it was easy for him to get hurt. When they bullies finally left them, Grace would drag him to a 7-11 to “freeze their brains” she’d like to say, buying the slushie to suck on as fast as they could. They’d sing out a sad-ish tune when they did it, running into the woods next to the store. He could remember how passionately she’d sing it to, like she’d listened to that song on repeat for hours, crying out all the pain from the blood on her face and knees.

 

_ “Freeze your brain~” _ Lance pulled the straw up to his lips and sucked out the hard water. He closed his eyes, remembering the tune from years of singing it.  _ “Suck on that straw get lost in the pain. Happiness comes when everything numbs, who needs cocaine?”  _ When he opened his eyes, he almost screamed in surprise.

 

He was in the woods behind the 7-11, remembering the creek that ran through them, but he wasn’t alone. He looked down at the scratched up face of a nine year old girl, her brown curls bloody from the cuts on her face. She was smiling at the other figure there with him, recognizing it as an eleven year old him. He couldn’t seem to move, his body frozen from the shock of it all, and how her voice rang out through his head just like before. He looked down and saw the frozen water pouch still in his hand, taking another sip of it before listening in. 

 

_ “You’re building your future, Lance McClain, will go to some college and marry a model!”  _ She stabbed his chest with her finger, pain flashing across her features in a way that he never remembered seeing, tears mixing with her words.  _ “But the sky’s gonna hurt when it falls, so you better start building some walls! Freeze Your Brain!” _ She gasped out, while the younger Lance laughed at ehr words, completely missing what her words actually meant. Lance squeezed his water pouch, not wanting to hear the pain in her voice that he missed before, tears collecting in his eyes.

 

He fell to the ground covering his ears, but it did nothing to dampen the sound, hearing the pain in her voice after years of never noticing it seemed even worse.  _ “Swim in the ice get lost in the pain, shut your eyes tight till you vanish from sight, let nothing remain!”  _ He heard himself giggle again and almost wanted to punch his younger counterpart.  _ “Freeze your brain! Shatter your skull, fight pain with more pain! Forget who you are, unburden your load!”  _

 

Then it stopped, the only sounds being his whimpers that surrounded him in the kitchen. He meet eyes with Hunk, who’d followed him in shortly after, groa. He didn’t understand why that kept happening or why both times it was linked to the girl causing all the problems, so he really didn’t want to have explain something he didn’t understand to someone. He stood up and walked past his confused friend, not caring what he thought or what he was going to tell the others. He just needed some time to think.

 

He wiped away the tears that never really left, pushing past anything that got in his way. He couldn’t feel anything he wanted to feel, couldn’t see anything he wanted to see. It was just numb.  _ Freeze your brain _ . Never knew how well that really worked.

 

He was starting to regret meeting that girl who seemed nice.

 

~~~

 

_ We’re done. At least for now, I need to be alone. _

 

She heard Will and Nico, their checkup finally over, but far from done. She clenched her teeth against her anger,  _ get ready to be another lab rat _ . She’d worked so hard, made so many deals and hurt herself more times than she could count to get in her position. She had a batallion that was her own, she could lead and win any battle she stepped into, but now it was going to someone else. She knew it. She was worth nothing to them except a phone they can use to spy on the enemy. If she had been anyone else she could have fought in the war like a pawn, but somehow that seemed better and in any world but this one, she’d probably be dead, but that didn’t seem to bother her either. She couldn’t feel anything, or she refused to feel anything, but either way she was dead and didn’t care. She was dead to the world and would be until she stand enough to run, stand long enough the reach for a shadow and end up anywhere but were she was. It was too painful, but not enough at the same time. 

 

She finally succumbed to the pain, letting it swallow her whole, everything become darker, her mind becoming dull and her thoughts becoming slurred until she was gone. 

 

Above her, the gathering of demigods got larger, her friends, her  _ family.  _ They looked down at her sleeping form, that one death spiking something in them they’d never thought about before. Death was real, and it was there, it was happening and they didn’t know how to deal with it. Nobody had died- nobody close to them at least, not anybody they’d thought of importance. It was selfish and they knew it, but they had to lead, people needed a wall to brace themselves on not a pillow to cry on. The girl on the bed looked so close to death herself, and somehow, after years of fighting, it seemed more personal than they’d ever thought possible. Annabeth wiped the tear on her cheek, turning her back to the body.

 

“Why do we let her fight?” Percy sucked in a breath, Jason who had walked by grimaced.

 

“You know we don’t want her to. We wouldn’t have given her a battalion if it wasn’t for  _ that attack _ .”

 

_ That attack _ . The second battle, the one they really needed her on. She was there when Rome attacked them the first time - in fact - she was the reason they weren’t bombed at sight. Her and Clare, the two small, new, demigods who’d never face war but have defiantly faced danger. The two nobody knew anything about, but the two who knew everything about staying alive. They stole their cannons. Every last one of them, crushed, sucked beneath the green of the earth, or shot with an arrow tipped with greek fire. Then she was noticed by Jason, who was breaking under the pressure of being the only one left who knew how to fight like the Romans, who knew how to order and attack and plan battles they’ve never had to face. He found his right hand man.

 

She fought, fought against him and what he wanted, she wanted to fight in the battles. She wanted to fight the battles like they were her own, but he wouldn’t risk it. Like Percy, so many others confronted him and told him how useful she’d be fighting, but the connection and her mind- it was worth it. They needed those things alive.

 

The second battle was worse. So much worse.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry it's been a long time, but I've been really un-motivated to write Klance, but I've been getting back into it. 
> 
> I Just need a little bit, and I'll continue, I don't know when the next chapter will be posted but it shouldn't be that bad of a gap. Thank you for all the support you've all given me, I really do appreciate it!!!!! Love you all!


	10. What?

“I still can’t believe you would do that to her!  _ What the fuck is wrong with you _ ?” Angelica screeched, slamming the door to the hades cabin shut. Nico and Percy at least had the decency to look ashamed, blushing and sweating, they looked terrified. Angelica was  _ burning _ with anger, and maybe something else, something equally as powerful, if not more, her body glowing with it. Her eyes were glowing a soft pink, almost blotching out her pupils in the rose colored mist. It was a normal thing with Aphrodite kids, but for the worst reason- like most things- it was the curse most Aphrodite kids had to face.

They were known for love, finding it for others, seeing the tension between two people, but that also meant they could do that for themselves. It was the kind of thing, like if you know how hot dogs are made, you wouldn’t want to eat them. They could see love, find love, which means they know if someone loves  _ them _ or not. It was a hard thing, loving someone  _ and knowing _ they didn’t love you back.

That’s exactly why she gave up Grace in the first place. That and her brother…

The pink glow was a something they Aphrodite’s called _chorís antapódosi_ , translating quite literally to _unrequited._ He was _very_ rare among Aphrodite kids, but not unheard of, the sign that you are absolutely, positive, no doubt, in love with this _one person who doesn’t love you back._ It’s a hard thing to have, a harder thing to hide, her and her sisters tried to help her through it the best they could- but it was _painful_.

But she had Grace now, so why it was showing up was a mystery to them.

“Angie…” Nico held his hand out, revolting instantly when she hissed at him.

“Don’t touch me! You  _ traitor _ \- you’re supposed to be on  _ her side! _ ” She screamed, slapping his hand away. “And  _ you- _ ” She turned to Percy, advancing on him, “Who else knows?” She asked, slightly calmer.

“Annabeth is the only other who  _ doesn’t _ -”

“Oh my gods-” She whispered, face contorted in on of disgust.

“But we did it for  _ good reason _ .” Percy pleaded, watching her turn away from them. “It’s less painful watching someone die in battle,  _ knowing they died with a purpose- _ ” Percy stood grabbing her arm and spinning her around. She had tears on her face, spilling down her warm cheeks, glowing pink like her eyes. “It’s a lot better than knowing they died in a duel, something so trivial and so unneeded-”

_ “He’s still alive!”  _ She pushed him away, “We all thought he was dead!” Angelica balled her fist at her side, raising it, “Do you understand how much he means to her?!” She brought her fist down, hearing a satisfying crack against his jaw, watching him flinch back, whimpering. “I’m not going to let him go like this.”

She shook of the blood on her knuckles, leaving Nico to scramble over to Percy, helping him off the floor. “No! Angelica.” He paused, taking his sheet and wiping the blood off Percy’s jaw. “Seriously, Angelica, you can’t let her know-” Nico tried, frantically helping Percy stand.

“Why?!” She cried, smearing blood on her face when she wiped the tears. “So that when it gets out-  _ just like that fucking affair _ \- and everyone knows,  _ she can turn on me too? _ ” She slammed her fist into the side of the cabin, more blood accumulating on her knuckles, “Do you know how long it took me to earn her trust?” She added, quieter and small, pained, “Do you know how long it took be to gain her love?” She brushed her fingers over the knob, twisting it, “I’m not losing it, especially not to something like this.”

Her voice was so low, deadly, it made them stop in their tracks. She opened the door, the night sky bearing down on them. “Nyx, I know the connection you have to her, please wake her up for me…” She prayed to the sky, eyes closing for the smallest moment, before slamming the door again, locking Percy and Nico inside. Away from her, and away from Grace.

She took off, kicking dirt up as she bolted to the infirmary. As far as she was concerned, Grace was still asleep, taken out by that battle everyone was trying to figure out. Those  _ creatures _ , that Grace was able to beat with anger, with sadness,  _ with false sadness _ . Phillip was still alive, phillip didn’t die in a battle, he was shot in a duel. Shot in a useless duel defending Asher, who deserved every piece of ridicule he got.  _ He’s the one who cheated over his bond. _

She was going to have quite the chat with Hazel after this. She’s the only one who can manipulate the mist  _ that well,  _ make them watch him die, to spare a little bit of pain. Too much, too cruel. It was awful.

She dusted the path to the infirmary, pounding through the doors and into the strong smell of chlorine and sleeping bodies. Apollo kids all turned to her, angered by her sudden intrusion, Will cam up to her. White clothes, syringe in hand, he looked rather scary, but Angelica didn’t really care.

“Angelica what are you doing out this late?”

“Coming to see my wife.” She tried pushing past him, the pink glow in her eyes gone. She let out an annoyed huff when he wouldn’t let her past.

“First off, she’d been in a coma for days, visiting hours ar over, and people here are trying to sleep.” Will turned her to the door, but she stayed planted.

“That’s cool, but, I don’t really care- so-” She pushed past him again, successfully, walking to the back where the private rooms were. 

“Angelica!” He whisper shouted, tagging along with her as she bounded into Grace’s room-

To behold that very girl, eyes open, and sitting up painfully on her own.

“Angie?” She croaked, voice hoarse. Angelica felt more tears slip down her face, hands instinctively grasping her stomach.

“Grace…” She whispered, ignoring Will who rushed over, checking her vitals with a small hum of his voice and the glow of his hands. Angelica took a tentative step, then more, until she was running to the girl in the bed, arms open and wide. She was careful, making sure it didn’t hurt before taking her slowly into them.

The white marks were slightly less prominent on her skin, but where still quite there, looking light lightning bolts down her body. Angelica, and her small frame, moved to straddle to girl, now crying her own tears.

Will, surprisingly, let her, working around her to draw her blood, feed her unicorn drought and ambrosia, as well as inspecting the marks over her arms and face. “You’re awake.” She sniffed, tears more prominent, big falling down her cheeks. Similar ones spilled down Grace’s, obstructing the marks.

“Why wouldn’t I be?” She asked, voice still soft and hoarse.

“Maybe because you’ve been asleep for days.” She laughed, still crying too hard to make sense. Grace looked stricken before brushing it off, facing looking back up in a sad smile, happy Angelica was there.

“How are you?” She asked, replacing Angelica’s hand with her own, on her stomach. If you knew what you were looking for, and hard enough, the smallest of bumps could be seen…

“We’re fine…” Angelica whispered, placing her hand over Grace’s on her stomach, “They’re fine…”   
“They’re?” She squeaked, face lighting up. The tears fell faster, harder, both momentarily forgetting Will was there with them.

“Oh my gods-” He choked, dropping the things in his hands. His eyes were wide, eyeing the couple on the bed, “ _ You’re pregnant?! _ ”

~~~

Lance paced back and forth over the bridge, the worry on his face nothing compared to what he was feeling. Keith but a hand on his shoulder, trying to slow his movements, but his heart was racing too, Lance could feel pressed against his back.

“Maybe you should sit down.” Pidge called from her seat, glance to Hunk for support.

“Yeah,” He added hastily, “Maybe you should.” Keith took his hand, leading to his own seat and pushed Lance down in it.

“Why are you even so worried?” Keith question, validly. Earlier he’d been so keen on going home, ready to see his friends, his family,  but now...

“I don’t know…”  _ Lies. _

“Everyone buckle in,” Coran called from the top, “We’re approaching Earth.” They all gave Lance one last glance, Keith buckling him in and going to Lance’s station. He was making them all uneasy, nervously glance around the room like it was going to start closing in on him.

Little did they know that ever since he stepped foot in that library, he was having these…  _ flashes _ . All of them the same layout, the same people, the same place. And all of them involved Grace. How they were all songs, music singing to his ears more powerful than words ever could. Sometimes  _ he  _ was in the memory… kind of. It was like he was a ghost, embodying someone else. The questions would be directed at him, but for someone else, the song about someone else, even though they were all yelling at him. 

_ How do you write like you’re running out of time? _ They would yell, his body not his, but hers. He could  _ feel _ her fear, her emotions, her anger, everything. And he would respond sometimes, his voice not his, but hers.  _ I am Diana Hamilton… Just you wait! _

He wasn’t sure where the name ‘Hamilton’ came from, only having heard it in other flashes, other songs. They referred to this boy, dirty blonde… Name possibly Asher? They all happened so fast, so quickly, he couldn’t tell who they were talking about.  _ And Diana _ . Her name wasn’t Diana.

He started keeping a journal, writing down all the flashes, but that only made them more constant. He wasn’t really a bad thing either, he had so many questions, and this seemed to be the best place to get answers.

“Lance?” Keith's voice shook him out of his trance, only throwing him into another one. Keith, he was keeping his stable, keeping his healthy. He was the only one that knew about the flashes, because when they happened _ his eyes would turn white. _ Keith kept other people away when they happened, and Lance would write it down, and let him read.

“Yeah?” he turned, looking to Keith.

“It’s happening again.” He whispered. Voice small, eye wide with fear. Lance gave him a look,  _ nothing was happening _ , he tired to say, but his voice was stuck. He turned, looking to Pidge and Hunk, looking equally scared. But they weren’t looking at him. They were focused on apoint behind his, eyes moving around. He followed their gaze, twisting in his chair to look behind him.

And was greeted by to ghostly figures.

They shared the same white that his eyes were, a soft glowed followed they’re trail. The sweetest music filled their ears, soft and high, loving. Two girls were dancing around each other, one incredibly familiar. _ Grace _ , the other with very curly hair, other characteristics blended white with the glow. Pidge let out a gasp, a tear running down her face at the beautiful sight. Then they started singing, voice  _ perfect,  _ in time with the tunes in their heads.

_ “Look around, look around, at how lucky we are to be alive right now. _ ” The other sang, curls bounce as she spun around Grace. She stopped, placing Grace’s hand on her stomach.

Grace let out a gasp, tears glowing as they fell to the floor, disappearing immediately, “ _ How long have you known? _ ” She sang, voice slightly wavy, but still beautiful.

“ _ A month or so _ .” She sang back, squeezing Grace’s hand.

“ _ Angelica, you should’ve told me. _ ” She whispered, voice small.

“ _ I wrote to the general a month ago.” _

“No,” The song gone for a split second with her word, then returning just as pretty as before.

_ “Asked him to keep you home-” _

_ “You should’ve told me. _ ” Grace slunk to the floor, cupping the girl- Angelica’s- stomach, resting her face on it.

“ _ I’m… not sorry.” _ She smiled, watching Grace do the same. But it fell quickly, standing Grace took her hands,

“ _Will you relish being a poor girl’s wife?_ _Unable to provide for your life?”_

“ _ I relish being your wife. _ ” She brought the girl closer, “ _ Look around, look around~”  _ She spun with the girl, keeping her close, “ _ Look at where you are, look at where you started. The fact that you’re alive is a miracle, just stay alive, that would be enough. And if this child shares a fraction of your smile, or a fragment of your mind,” _ She kissed her forehead, on her toes, falling back down to face her, “ _ That would be enough.” _

They watched the mood change, Grace turning away from her, wrapping her arms around herself. They could all feel, understand she was feeling guilty, alone, but so could Angelica.  _ “Oh, I don’t pretend to know, the challenges you're facing, the worlds you keep erasing and creating in your mind!”  _ She paused, for the briefest second, taking her hands back, “ _ But I’m not afraid. I know who I married.” _ She smiled, bringing their bodies closer. “ _ So long as you come home at the end of the day. That would be enough. _ ” She kissed Grace, the music continuing, but was cut short.

Allura bounded into the room, eyes wide in horror. “Lance!” She screamed, running into the room. She smacked his cheek, the sound  _ loud _ , everyone watching with amazed horror. Still in shock from the memory the rest could only watch, Allura fuming as the glow faded from his eyes. “That was  _ not _ yours to share!” She yelled, eyes glance to the screen, then back to Lance. “We are not done here.” She pushed away, taking her place in the center of the bridge. 

“Get ready everyone, we are entering Earth’s atmosphere.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SO.  
> Here we are again, and I'm making the chapters shorter so I can keep up, and possibly make it more frequent. And I did not pull the name 'Hamilton' from my ass, I didn't just take it because I'm obsessed with Hamilton, it will have a *huge* part in the sequel.
> 
> Most of the songs used for memories will be from Hamilton, and things like the names and some of the words will be changed to make it fit, but I chose these so you could go look them up and listen to them with the story if you'd like.
> 
> And the marriage thing. I'm making it a common thing for Demigods to marry very early because of their chances of surviving childhood. It's a normal thing in this fic for teens to marry, but it's all consensual and completely wanted.


End file.
